Genesee & Wyoming's Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad is no stranger to cold weather. G&W photos

Railway Times, August 2021: For railways, staying ahead in the next "polar vortex" means strengthening communication and cooperation with shippers, other carriers and suppliers as soon as possible.

It may be summer now, wildfires and droughts may sweep most of the United States and western Canada, but planning ahead — from investment to inspections to phased resources — is the railways, no matter how big or small, how to ensure they are ready to continue operating in Operate safely when the temperature drops and snow, freezing rain and ice replace smoke and flames. 

"Since most of our 113 North American railroads are located above the US solar belt region, winter preparation has always been a priority in Genesee & Wyoming's operations-even when the term'polar vortex' became our daily routine Before using part of the term," the person in charge said corporate communications Tom Chuba. 

Communication is the key. As part of its planning work, G&W ensures that employees have all the personal protective equipment needed for the season—spikes or winter boots, industrial gloves for cold weather, jackets, hats, etc.—and that all properties undergo general maintenance and housekeeping. In order to eliminate the danger that water or debris may cause slipping or tripping in the yard once it snows, reserve salt or sand; maintain designated walkways and lots; according to Andy Chunko, senior vice president of operations support at G&W, and for any Snow blowers or other tools to keep the track open provide services. 

United Pacific (UP) continuously monitors and adjusts its winter action plan. From machinery and service design to operation, each team has a "script". "The coordination of various regions and other departments-including our Harriman dispatch center and our crew management service-review all the details of the anticipated plan and pass any necessary changes," spokesperson Robynn Tysver told Railway Times. She said that in addition to reporting after any major weather events to understand what adjustments need to be made, there will also be an annual review of the plan.

Railway companies also cooperate with shippers to prepare. G&W reminds shippers "how important it is to keep their facilities, guide tracks, yard tracks and switches free of ice and snow," said Michael Miller, G&W North America President. "This ensures that the staff can serve their operations in a timely and effective manner. We also encourage our customers to use sand and/or salt walks, parking lots, and all paths that we and their employees may walk on, and we ask them to plan ahead and plan in advance. They set aside extra time in their service requests because bad weather has slowed down or delayed operations. In places prone to extreme conditions, we will work with customers to make winter preparation plans a few weeks before the season changes."

UP even provides winter weather preparation tips on its website. "As part of these tips, we ask shippers with rail service facilities to take several steps to prepare for the winter weather, such as cleaning and inspecting drains, drains and sidewalks, and make sure they are free of any debris," Tysver said.

Tysver said that communication with other operators is also important, "to ensure a smooth network and use these relationships to continue to provide services to our customers in the safest way." 

"The three areas that G&W and our exchange partners are most concerned about in the winter are communication, coordination and preparation," G&W's Miller report said. “Because the weather affects services, active communication between railway partners helps in proper planning and scheduling. AccuWeather’s reporting system helps us identify potential problem areas in advance, keep the junctions free of ice and snow to ensure smooth operation, and Strategically place equipment and resources in key locations to minimize service interruptions. When possible, we also strive to keep trains air ventilated to minimize the time required to prepare air brakes. We encourage connections to railways. Do this. If congestion occurs, we will provide handover assistance and add services as needed. Last but not least, we will monitor rail car delays and propose plans to transportation partners when there are too many delays."

Technology also played a role. "For the past 10 years, we have been rebuilding our snowplow fleet and overhauling our rotary snowplows," Tysver said. “Most of the spreaders on the west coast have been completely rebuilt. We have also obtained a batch of AF1 air coolers equipped with high-speed rails to clean the turnouts and yard tracks. In the past few years, we have purchased several PistenBully snow machines. Yu pushed California’s snow down the mountain. In addition, we have also purchased several switch heaters in our target market segments."

"In colder climates, we focus on engine idling, which can burn up to 5.5 gallons of fuel per hour, just to keep the engine warm enough to prevent damage due to freezing," G&W's Chunko explained. In order to prevent this loss, G&W equipped the locomotive with an auxiliary power unit (APU) to maintain the temperature of the engine cooling water and lubricating oil. "APU burns only about 1 gallon of fuel per hour during operation, which reduces diesel emissions and saves lubricant usage," Chunko points out. "If possible, we will also install electrical plug-ins so that we can keep the engine warm without idling."

Railway Times talked with suppliers to learn about their winter preparation skills and product delivery lead time, as well as the latest cold-resistant technology to help the railway clear the next "polar vortex". Their response is as follows.

Hotstart designs and manufactures idle speed reduction systems for heating and circulating water and lubricating oil in locomotive engines. "We provide various shore power solutions ranging from 120V to 575V configurations for short-distance, long-distance and transportation applications," Railway Marketing Manager Casey Hall told Railway Times. “Hotstart also produces APUs for applications that cannot provide the required shore power. Hotstart APU is an independent diesel-driven solution that integrates with the on-board AESS (Automatic Engine Start/Stop) system to reduce idle time, save fuel, Reduce fuel consumption and charge the battery."

Hall said that in order to prepare for this season, Hotstart recommends that the railway maintain existing equipment in accordance with the operating manual and perform a "first run" procedure to verify normal operation. "Before the first operation, the common replacement parts and wear parts should be thoroughly inspected and replaced as necessary. For new equipment, we recommend that customers allow sufficient time to purchase, deliver, and install the equipment before severe weather conditions. In addition, before putting it into use Previously, train staff should be trained on the correct installation/use of such equipment." 

“When we develop new products and solutions, ensuring that they operate at low temperatures in a reliable manner is one of our key requirements,” NYAB marketing director Deepak Kumar told The Railway Times. He said that regardless of operating conditions or train composition, the railway must be able to stop the train every time.

NYAB provides DB-60 II control valve with brake cylinder retention (BCM) to improve the safety and reliability of the brake, especially in winter. "In extremely cold temperatures, the rubber and other components in the brake system can become very hard and lose their ability to seal the air," Kumar explained. "For example, the BCM function ensures that if the brake cylinder leaks, it will continue to supply air." He likened it to an insurance policy. 

The company also provides VV1000-T oil-free compressors. Unlike oil compressors, it does not require heat preservation, which limits the need for idling locomotives in winter. "Our Canadian customers do benefit from this technology and continue to equip their fleets with it," Kumar reports, noting that the compressor overhaul cycle is eight years.

Kumar said that NYAB's LD-1000 air dryer has a three-stage filtration system that can remove impurities and moisture generated by the compressor in the air. He said this is especially important so that the water does not freeze in the system and stop the locomotive.  

In terms of research and development, NYAB continues to develop new rubber compounds for its pneumatic systems to improve sealing reliability at lower temperatures and longer periods of time.

"Although it is the peak of summer, this is indeed the time of the year to test your system," said Bob Silva, marketing manager of nVent RAYCHEM, which provides deicing and snowmelting solutions for contacting (third) tracks and switches Plan to prevent service interruption. "Make sure they are still working properly and there is no mechanical damage. You don't want to wait until the cold weather arrives to realize that you need to upgrade, replace or install the system."

This is especially important because delivery delays are common. "The supply chain has become more and more global in the past few years. There are many restrictions in different locations of these supply chains, and it is difficult to really add and supply products immediately," Sudhir Solat, head of railway products at nVent RAYCHEM, told Railway Times. "So you really need to plan ahead. If you are waiting for the last minute, it will be difficult to deliver the product at the right time." 

This is one of the reasons why nVent RAYCHEM has been working hard to consolidate its supply chain-even before the pandemic began. Thorat explained: "We want to make sure that we have reliable partners to work with, they have quality raw materials, they are reliable within delivery time, and they support us in any customization that our customers may require."

nVent RAYCHEM is now collaborating with Power Resources International (PRI) to provide solutions for the transportation industry, especially through the Northeast and Washington, D.C. The advantage is “the integration of nVent RAYCHEM's industry-leading heating solutions with PRI’s engineering, control, and systems” The company reported that "capability" and its local presence in West Babylon, New York. "Today, we are providing turnout heating and contact track heating solutions for the extension of the Long Island Railroad Flower Park to Hicksville. "NVent RAYCHEM provides engineering support and heating products, while PRI is designing and providing control systems to ensure that the train runs in the harshest environment. 

Thorat adds that nowadays, customers want more manufacturers to become "solution providers." "They want vendors to own their applications and provide the entire engineering package." He said they also need connectivity. Having a controller that can communicate with a central location through different protocols (from SCADA to the cloud) is very important and has become the focus of the company.

Due to idling in winter, railways and rebuilders are worried about fuel use, emissions, maintenance, and noise pollution. Because of this, PDI has developed the PowerHouse™ idle speed reduction system, which allows the locomotive to stop even in the coldest temperatures. According to PDI, the system heats the engine oil and circulates the heated coolant through the locomotive engine block and cooling system to keep the fluid temperature above 100°F through the diesel heating device. 

The company recently developed the PowerHouse™ Hybrid, which told the "Railway Times" that "it completely eliminated the engine as part of the APU and powered itself directly from the locomotive battery pack. The lack of an engine on the APU is what PDI has heard loudly from our customer base And clear information. This is why we developed PowerHouse™ Hybrid."

PDI stated that Hybrid can use the locomotive battery for up to 7 days without starting the engine and does not require a three-phase power supply; when plugged into an external 120 VAC power source, Hybrid will charge the locomotive battery.

Hybrid requires an average of less than 5 amps of current to power the diesel burner to maintain coolant and oil temperature when the locomotive is stopped. It also monitors the locomotive cooling system and battery "health", and sends warnings to railway personnel via text messages.    

PDI said that because water can cause serious damage to the locomotive system, it designed a compressed air water separator. This plug-in solution is used in conjunction with a standard locomotive air dryer to remove moisture to ensure the normal operation of the locomotive. The company's Diesel Dehydrator™ can also remove water and filter particulates in diesel fuel. A locomotive rebuilder recently installed the system for a railroad customer who was experiencing problems due to the high water content in the fuel. Result: PDI reports that Diesel Dehydrator™ removed 99.5% of water, extended the life of the injector by four, and improved overall locomotive performance.

Scott Garman, Marketing Director of Progress Rail, told The Railway Times that preparing for the winter is to plan and locate resources and assets, and ensure that these assets are maintained and prepared. To help customers stay operational, the company provides Kershaw® Model 60, a multifunctional machine platform that can operate as a heavy snow fighter and handle a series of road maintenance tasks. It is equipped with bench snow wings, high-output snow drills and high-speed V-plows or all-season plows with flanges. In warm months, Model 60 can be used as a ballast regulator or brush cutter.

Garman reports that Progress Rail recently developed and delivered the first new-generation high-output snow fighter in cooperation with a Canadian customer. This machine is powered by a 415-horsepower CAT C9.3B diesel engine combined with upgraded driveline components, including a new power shift transmission and variable displacement traction pump and electric motor. According to Garman, it also uses a new heavy-duty axle that can transmit 30% more traction than previous models. 

Progress Rail's Rail Blaster is a railway air-conditioning system that uses compressed air to help railway personnel blow snow off the rails. 

For locomotives, Progress Rail provides EMD® AESS™. "A fully integrated software solution that can monitor key operating parameters during idling locomotives-when all factors are met, it can safely and effectively shut down the engine," Garman said. "When any predetermined limit exceeds the target range, AESS™ will restart the engine." 

What does the customer require? They continue to "demand higher cost performance, higher productivity, reliability and fuel savings," Garman said. "They are also eager to adopt more sustainable solutions and increasingly advanced rail technology solutions to connect their assets to back-office solutions. Our Progress Rail Uptime™ product suite is an example of this."

Russ Gehl, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of RECO, told "Railway Times": "Due to the pressure surrounding the precise planning of railways, no one is willing to delay for any reason." In order to manage the snow at the switch, RECO provides electric heaters and gas heaters. Fans, mixing systems (gas heaters with electric heating elements), pot or crib heaters, and other equipment and accessories.

“We work with customers to study how they want to prepare for winter, and our engineering, design, and manufacturing teams have the flexibility to do this,” Gehl said. 

He said that nowadays, railways are most interested in the performance, fuel efficiency, reliability and monitoring of snow melting machines. RECO provides Sno-NET® and applications for monitoring and opening and closing assets, but railways can also use them to obtain asset operation and performance data. "They are writing more winter agreements, which are based on instructions from the snow melting machine and weather system, rather than dispatching starters just because it is cold outside or because of snow forecasts," Gale said. Why? "Because natural gas is expensive; electricity is expensive."

RECO provides transportation customers with small electric devices, including the REM (Réseau Express Métropolitain) project in Montreal, all the way to providing large bungalow enclosed gas heaters for Canadian Pacific Company, where they will be connected to the Sno-NET site for continuous operation, Gehl said , Because it is a challenge to reach certain locations, so snow melting machine monitoring is a challenge. 

RECO's latest products include fiberglass covers for hot box detectors to help prevent snow accumulation and some heat from entering. "We are very excited about the new design," Gehl said. He said that it is more cost-effective and it will help make the lid easier to install and reinstall.  

In terms of research and development, as the price of steel rises, RECO is seeking to improve the connecting pipe to make it lighter and more cost-effective. 

Gehl recommends that railways prepare for winter earlier than ever because of the longer delivery time for equipment. "As time went on, we encountered more struggles," he said. "In the past two months, we have been in continuous dialogue with the railway company on the appearance of the supply chain so that they can plan the installation." RECO's engineering team also spends more time ensuring that parts are available. Gehl said they asked questions more often: "If our current supply runs out, can we use this type of gas that is also approved for snowmelting machines?"

Thermon's products include electric hot air blowers, gas hot air blowers and calrods (components directly clamped on the running track) to reduce the ice and snow conditions at the switch. "A good rule of thumb is that if you are within 100 miles of I-70 or north of the 100-mile belt, you might consider installing one of these devices," said Rail Ben Lecher, business development manager.

The advantage of a gas hot air blower is its capacity. "From an output point of view, they are much higher than any other technology," Lecher said. "When it comes to the ability to melt a lot of snow in extreme climates, they are unparalleled." Disadvantages: They take up more space than the other two options and require gas and electricity resources, for example, because they have electrical controls and electric solenoid valves . 

Lecher said customers are looking for connectivity and greater operational efficiency. This is why Thermon works with third-party suppliers to provide connectivity solutions when needed, and installs rail temperature thermostats and other equipment to reduce heater power when the rail is warm enough. Lecher also reported that a transportation customer is adopting hybrid technology: installing both calrod and gas hot air blowers. They run calrods on a regular basis, but if there is a heavy snowstorm, they will switch to using gas hot air blowers.

Lecher said that the delivery time of Thermon products-the same as the delivery times of other manufacturers-has increased. "I will encourage the railway department to inspect and meet their switching heater needs as early as possible in the upcoming heating season." Before the global supply chain changes, "They may almost need to think about the next winter at the end of this winter," He said.

According to Dana Logue, Railway Product Manager, ThermOmegaTech's GURU® plug helps protect the locomotive cooling system from freezing damage. They are installed on the locomotive engine coolant storage tank and the water-cooled compressor, and can automatically monitor the water temperature. The thermal actuator of the plug can sense the water temperature and open suddenly when the engine is off and the temperature is close to freezing. "This allows the system to be drained before freezing damage occurs," Logue explained, noting that the plug is "completely mechanical, does not require electrical or air connections to operate, and will protect your investment throughout the winter."

As customers require different connection types for their GURU® plugs, ThermOmegaTech provides various configurations of GURU® DL 2.1 and Magnum GURU® plugs, including "three-way or cross-body, with different flange styles, such as groove method." Flange and gasket seals, flat face flanges, or a combination of the two," Logue said. Recently, according to customer feedback, ThermOmegaTech added a cross-shaped body with a 1-1/4 male NPT male connector to the 1/4 female plug of its product line. In addition, all GURU® plugs are provided with a tamper-proof dome cover to prevent tampering with the valve reset lever.

The company also provides freeze protection for passenger cars. “The GURU® PC thermostatic valve continuously monitors the ambient temperature and automatically drains the car’s drinking water system before freezing damage occurs,” Logue said. "Once the car heat is restored, the value will be adjusted to shut down, allowing the fuel tank to be refilled before service is restored." 

ThermOmegaTech recommends that customers replace the GURU® plug every 18-24 months, "to ensure the best performance and avoid trash dumping."

Wabtec provides a variety of technologies to keep the locomotive running in winter. These include Advanced Rail Cleaner, "a hardware and software-based solution that improves adhesion and related traction performance"; a thermostatically controlled intercooler system on the air compressor to prevent freezing; and AESS improvements to below freezing The engine is supported at a temperature. Wabtec also provides various heaters to prevent the moisture in the braking system from freezing.

"We worked with customers to evaluate product performance in all operating ranges and developed some unique solutions to protect compressed air systems from freezing in extreme weather," Wabtec said. "In addition, due to the excellent design of the engine charge air system, the Evolution series Tier 4 locomotive performs exceptionally well in extremely cold conditions, reducing the full horsepower to a record-breaking -46°C."

ZTR provides a locomotive power-saving system that "adds smart logic to manage the energy on the locomotive"; SmartStart®, an AES system; and KickStart™, "a supercapacitor technology that enhances lead-acid starting batteries", providing "backup" energy , Sales Director Brian Nelson told Railroad Times.

The company is introducing the ability to monitor SmartStart® and KickStart™ through telematics. Nelson said customers want to know about their mature locomotive fleet-in addition to 91 and 182 days of inspections. "So we are working hard to provide them with insight." Software updates can also be pushed to the locomotive instead of being executed during inspections.

Nelson said that historically, ZTR has been known for its work in the low-horsepower shunt and switch market, but with its latest KickStart™ products, it has found a foothold in the high-horsepower market. "A few I-Classes are very regulated [from a starting point of view] in identifying which of their high-horsepower units are bad actors, and they found KickStart™ to be their nearly 100% solution," he said. KickStart™ is currently being piloted in ZTR's export markets, including South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. 

In terms of research and development, ZTR is looking for a stable alternative battery chemistry; no maintenance is required; Nelson said it can be combined with supercapacitor technology in a single unit. "In this way, we can not only provide the start-up capability of battery products, but also provide a large-capacity standby capability."