Ballast is dumped, spread, tamped, profiled and cleaned, and serves many purposes, the most important of which is drainage. High-production, computer-driven machines, inspection vehicles and attachments, built (and sometimes operated under contract) from multiple suppliers help to keep ballast clean and in a state-of-good-repair to increase track stability and availability with excellent drainage.
Principal suppliers are Brandt Road Rail, BTE (Ballast Tools Equipment), Dymax Rail, Herzog, Knox Kershaw, Loram, Miner Enterprises, Plasser American, RCE (Rail Construction Equipment Co.), Ontario Trap Rock, Mitchell Railgear, Rhomberg Sersa, NxGen Rail Services, Plasser American, Rhomber Sersa, and Pavemetrics. Following is a roundup of offerings from those who responded to Railway Age’s inquiries about their latest technologies and what their customers are looking for, as well as the state of the market.
Miner Enterprises AggreGate.
Miner Enterprises
Miner’s AggreGate® line of ballast outlet gates, control systems and accessories is available in electric, air-powered and manual operating models. AggreGate outlet gates are suitable for both retrofit and new car systems.
“Miner’s AggreGate is proven to be a safe and efficient method of unloading ballast whether the railroad wants a simple manual unloading or a fully automated standalone system,” says Miner Enterprises Director of Sales Paul Aspengren. “More than 7,200 carsets of Miner AggreGates have been sold into service since it first received A.A.R. certification more than four decades ago.”
The newest model, the solar-powered stand-alone electric AggreGate, “enables railroads to bring more efficiency and flexibility to their maintenance-of-way operations,” according to the company. By integrating solar power into each railcar, it enables independent operation of every car from anywhere within the ballast train. This eliminates the need for grouping manual and automatic cars.
The AggreGate remote-control system features a push button override that allows individual car and gate selection. Operators can effectively ballast inside, outside or both sides of the rail simultaneously.
The dual cylinder air-powered AggreGate is also available in either pushbutton or remote-control operation. The operator can select a specific car and gate, as well as control ballast flow, ensuring more accurate ballast discharge from distances as great as 300 feet.
The manual AggreGate is available with transition sheets designed to enable new or retrofit application to any open top hopper car. It features a three-position handle for easy opening and closing of doors. Spring tension holds the large, guillotine door in position at any opening for controlled flow of ballast.
According to the company, Miner AggreGates are the most specified ballast gates in the industry.
NxGen Rail Rail’s GPR gives a 3D understanding of ballast condition.
NxGen Rail Services
NxGen Rail Services says it is “a leader in the field of using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for ballast inspection.”
Use of GPR as a track inspection tool is growing, the company tells Railway Age. After a slow start a decade ago, this technology is quickly becoming an important tool in track maintenance planning. This, NxGen Rail Services says, is mainly due to a “significant reduction in cost and increased automation of the data processing using AI tools.”
GPR gives customers a detailed 3D understanding of ballast condition and enables them to plan maintenance based on the real condition. With this data customers can:
- Optimize undercutting and shoulder cleaning plans. (Undercutting is a hugely expensive activity, so knowing with precision where it is needed and where it is not can save a significant amount of cost.)
- Eliminate repetitive geometry defects.
- Detect areas with subsidence in the subgrade.
- Improve drainage maintenance.
- Detect faulty or blocked culverts.
GPR can be deployed easily and cheaply either on a hi-rail or on a rail bound inspection car—manned or unmanned. NxGen Rail Services offers a “plug and play” solution for hi-rail vehicles, which uses the hitch and the 12V supply from the vehicle to operate automatically. No specialized operator is required, and it takes about 10 minutes to set up.
According to NxGen Rail Services, the state of the current business market for GPR is “growing fast as clients appreciate the benefits.”
New technology and improvements include automated processing and plug and play easy-to-use solutions.
Further developments for GPR include AI and real-time processing to help clients achieve “low cost, high accuracy and maintenance planning optimization.”
Plasser American’s GRM4000 is the newest tamper in the GRM line.
Plasser American
As track maintenance continues to evolve, and AI and data analytics play a larger role in how railroads deploy their resources, there is one principle that has not changed: “Clean ballast leads to increased track stability and availability,” Plasser American tells Railway Age, adding that the company “continues to be the industry leader in ballast maintenance and inspection.”
“We continue to hear from customers that making the most of ever shortening work windows is paramount to their success,” Plasser American says. “The company’s fleet of undercutters, shoulder cleaners, and surfacing equipment boast near 100% uptime, ensuring that our machines are ready to go when it’s time to work. Another issue facing the industry is lack of skilled labor. Plasser American has developed several technologies to combat this lack of skilled labor with offerings like our Switch Tamping Assistant and Remote Link Drone Stabilizer.”
Plasser American’s next-generation GRM4000 is the newest tamper in the company’s high-production GRM Line. The GRM4000 offers a modified design with a two-tie tamping unit to significantly increase the production rate and improved weight distribution designed to be transported by road truck. Furthermore, the addition of the Autonomous Remote Stabilizer Upgrade Kit “links” the new GRM4000 remotely to the Plasser Dynamic Track Stabilizer PTS90C. This kit consists of two modules—one is installed on the existing stabilizer and the counterpart on an independent lead machine, such as a GRM4000. Once installed, the stabilizer can be fully controlled by the lead machine operator and requires no additional operator. “This remote upgrade keeps headcount low and performance high, while radar safety solutions ensure safe operation on track. This new upgrade kit supports the industry’s commitment to safety and efficiency,” the company says.
Plasser American says it continues to innovate and improve ballast maintenance technology. The company’s world class surfacing technology, combined with its high-production, high-performance ballast cleaning machines are a proven way to “ensure tracks are in prime condition, ready for increased capacity.”
RSNA’s MHDT is highly adaptable.
Rhomberg Sersa North America
RSNA describes itself as “a leading provider of ballast maintenance solutions and technologies, offering public and private railroads new and innovative solutions in conditional assessment, maintenance planning and delivering the most cost-effective maintenance solution in optimizing the life and performance of ballast and the overall track bed.”
RSNA recently announced the introduction of its Material Handling and Distribution Train (MHDT), which “helps alleviate the ‘bottleneck’ in production-based ballast cleaning activities.” The MHDT has been successfully deployed across freight and transit railroads in the U.S. and Canada on a range of projects, including traditional ballast cleaning spoil management and material handling, the company tells Railway Age. “The industry has quickly caught on to the benefits the MHDT provides, and, given that the MHDT also removes barriers around the need for locomotives of similar power, we expect to see demand for the MHDT continue to grow.”
According to RSNA, the MHDT is designed to operate with the company’s fleet of RM80 high output ballast undercutters to collect track spoil in areas where casting of material from the undercutter is either not practical, or, as becoming more prevalent, environmentally unacceptable. The MHDT configuration is highly adaptable and can also serve as a direct ballast feeder to the ballast cleaner during ballast cleaning, optimizing the overall production process and reducing costs.
RSNA notes it “brings its international knowledge and expertise in the operation and maintenance of high-output track maintenance machines, and, with industry leaders in trackbed inspection, Zetica Rail and REMCAN projects are delivering innovative end-to-end ballast maintenance solutions. Through the unrivaled combined expertise and knowledge, we are able to optimize the inspection, planning, budgeting, and delivery processes to provide a high-quality product, which, from our customers’ perspective, also translates into reduced risk, increased efficiencies in work delivery and cost savings.”
RSNA adds that it is “constantly looking at ways to challenge traditional methods through innovation to deliver more productive and cost-effective solutions for the purpose of delivering a better end outcome for the industry, customers, and the environment.”
Loram
“Loram continues to set the standard for productivity, quality, reliability and overall cost effectiveness when it comes to ballast maintenance,” the company tells Railway Age. “Forward looking customers pursuing preventative maintenance utilize Loram’s shoulder ballast cleaners and ditchers to get ahead of drainage related issues. A clean shoulder profile ensures that water can dissipate from the ballast section quickly so track stiffness returns as fast as possible after rainfall events. A clean and consistent ditch diverts runoff away from the track quickly, ensuring soils do not become saturated and less stable.”
The Badger Ditcher and DC Max Ditchers are the industry standard for high-speed ditch clearing and creation, according to Loram. The high efficiency machines can excavate material at up to 800 tons per hour to quickly restore drainage and direct water away from the track.
Loram notes it offers the industry’s “most advanced and productive shoulder ballast cleaning services, equipment and technologies, resulting in increased efficiencies and reduced costs. By consistently excavating at eight inches below the tie and restoring the ballast shoulder structure, fines can migrate through the shoulder with dramatically improved seepage time. Our equipment is specifically designed to break open mud pockets, compacted fines and ballast voids in the cribs and under the ties to release damaging trapped water.”
When corrective maintenance is required, Loram’s LRV vacuum excavators and undercutters offer “industry leading performance.” Spot work is executed with the LRV. These machines pair vacuum power with a manipulator that can apply 5,000 pounds of force at the tip of the nozzle; the LRV is able to excavate even the most fouled and cemented ballast in hard-to-reach locations. In addition to excavating in tight clearances on ballast deck bridges, in tunnels and around switches and crossings, the LRV can perform mud spot undercutting and removal, cross drain or trench digging and drain cleaning. Because there are no moving parts associated with vacuum excavation, ballast can be removed from critical (and typically expensive) components without any damage.
“The ballast cleaning market continues to be strong,” Loram tells Railway Age. “Customers understand the importance of preventative maintenance through shoulder ballast cleaning and are committed to cyclical programs to maintain appropriate drainage. Undercutting work is steady with customers targeting segments of track that are in the greatest need and remediating those locations accordingly.
“Loram is continually investigating new technology to offer better service to our customers. Currently we are implementing machine diagnostics and measurement tools on our ballast cleaning machines. This will improve maintenance planning and help Loram to continue to lead the industry in machine availability.
“Customers are asking for machines that reduce labor requirements and operational risks. There is a continued push to have machines that can be controlled with fewer operators, or machines that do multiple tasks so fewer track windows and railroad support are required,” Loram adds.
Herzog
“With advanced technology and field-proven solutions, Herzog’s ballast distribution systems have become indispensable for railroads seeking reliable, efficient maintenance,” the company tells Railway Age. “These innovations reduce track time, cut costs, and enhance safety, making them a key asset in modern railway operations. With uptime dependability and around-the-clock delivery, Herzog is the go-to provider for specialized equipment and experienced operators who ensure precision ballast placement.”
Herzog’s ballast equipment fleet includes GPS Ballast Trains, the Automated Conveyor Train™ (ACT), solar-powered ballast cars and the Track Lifter. These innovations, combined with operator expertise, “have redefined the standard for ballast delivery year after year,” the company notes. “Our operators’ meticulous preventative maintenance practices ensure these machines are always ready for rapid deployment.”
For more than 25 years, Herzog “has been North America’s premier ballast distributor,” according to the company. “The ACT set a new industry benchmark as the first conveyor train capable of unloading ballast on curves, while the Track Lifter, recently introduced in the field, lifts track and fills ballast in one seamless operation before lowering the track back into place.”
Herzog’s continuous innovation, the company says, “is driven by a relentless commitment to research and development. “Cutting-edge technology is developed to shape the future of railroad maintenance. At our dedicated R&D facility in St. Joseph, Mo.”
