1. 1
Railroad Perspective Emerging Technologies
Mid-American Transportation Center
December 7, 2018
Dwight W. Clark
AREMA President 2017-2018
General Director Engineering Technology
Union Pacific Railroad (Retired)
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

2. 2
Talking Points
• AREMA
• US Rail Research
• TTCI Overview
• Technology Review
– Recent breakthrough's
– Emerging technologies
– Developing technologies
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

3. 3
Background on AREMA
 To start my presentation, I thought that it was necessary to provide a
background on the American Railway Engineering & Maintenance of Way
Association (AREMA).
 AREMA has been a great association to be involved with.
 I recommend becoming a member if you are not.
 Education is a primary mission for AREMA.
 Well attended educational opportunities.
 In person seminars.
 Web-based educational programs.
 Best-selling railroad technical publications.
 Over 6,000 members.
 Annual technical conferences are held.
 Successful annual conference/held in conjunction with Railway
Interchange (Indianapolis, IN) last September.
 AREMA 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition was held at the Hilton
Chicago on September 16 – 19, 2018.
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

4. 4
Student Chapters
 Excited about continued > in student involvement.
 Students are integral part of keeping AREMA moving forward.
 Exponential growth over past decade.
 23 AREMA Student Chapters.

5. 5
Student Activity
 So what specifically is AREMA doing to
support the next generation.
 Student Involvement at AREMA Annual
Conferences has grown tremendously!
 Proactively encouraging attendance &
student involvement.
 Specific events tailored to the Next
Generation.
 Strong member & industry support for
the AREMA Educational Foundation
(www.aremafoundation.org).
 12 Railroad HR representatives
participated at the last conference.
 Close to 100 students applied for the
Scholarships offered in 2017.
 39 Scholarships awarded.
 $79,000

6. 6
AREMA Initiatives
 Over the past few years, senior leaders have identified several initiatives to
strengthen the association.
 A key is technology.
 Just recently launched a new Website.
 New Logo just launched.
 Web briefings & courses.
 Seminars – Bridge Inspection & many others.
 Introduction of Practical Railway Engineering.
 Professional Development Hours.
 Technical committees.
 Continue to be the heart of AREMA.
 Producing material that are both timely & relevant.
 Diversity.
 Another technology aspect is electronic delivery of manual orders.
 AREMA Board of Governor’s continue to improve the Strategic Plan.
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

7. 7
Railroad Research Status
• U. S. Highway research estimated at $800M
• U. S. Rail research - $48M
• North American Rail Research:
– American Association of Railroads (AAR)
• 7 Class 1 railroads fund and steer research
• Transportation Technology Center Inc (TTCI)
performs research and development of new
technologies
• Research supplemented by funding to 4
affiliated universities
– Class 1 railroads fund own internal projects
– Suppliers develop proprietary innovative
products
– FRA Office of R & D ratcheting up safety
related research
• Cooperates with AAR on common interest
projects
• Regional transportation centers are acquiring
funding
• Leases the DOT Transportation Technology
Center to AAR
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

8. 8
Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI)
• TTCI owned subsidiary of the
Association of American Railroads
• Located in Pueblo, CO desert
• World-class transportation research and
testing organization
• 48 miles of railroad track available for
testing locomotives, vehicles, track
components, and signaling devices
– 1 – High Tonnage Loop (2.7 mi)
– 2 – Wheel Rail Mechanism (3.5 mi)
– 3 – Railroad Test Track (13.5 mi)
– 4 –Transit Test Track (9.1 mi)
– 5 – Impact Track (.75 mi)
– 6 - Precision Test Track (6.2 mi)
– 7 - Dynamics Test Track
• Test new components, vehicles and
materials
• 17,000 tons 110 car train runs bi-
directional on HAL loop remotely
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

9. 9
HAL Mega Site Testing
• HAL MEGA Sites complement TTCI FAST program with a wider range of
track, climate and operation conditions
Western Eastern Northern
Track Structure
Concrete ties,
Premium rail,
Premium turnouts
w/spring or movable
point frogs,
Ballast deck concrete
bridges,
Variable ballast &
subgrade
Timber ties, cut spikes,
Premium rail,
Standard turnouts
w/fixed point frogs,
Open deck steel
bridges,
Variable subgrade
Timber ties, cut spikes,
Premium rail,
Premium and standard
turnouts w/fixed point
frogs,
Open deck steel bridges,
Variable subgrade
Annual Tonnage > 200 MGT ≈ 60 MGT 70 MGT
286-k Traffic 80 percent 50 percent 40 percent
Speed 50 – 60 mph 20 – 40 mph 20 - 60 mph
Track Geometry 1-2o curves Curvature up to 12o 2-6o curves
Grade Less than 0.5% 0.5-1.4% downhill Less than 0.5%
Elevation 3264 ft. 2657 ft. 784 ft.
Average Monthly
Temperature
12 - 91 °F 24 - 79 °F -6 - 78 °F
Annual
Precipitation
18.8 in 39.2 in 20.2 in
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

10. 10
Latest Technologies Track Design & Construction
• Foundation
• Drainage
• Concrete ties
• Continuous welded rail
• Velocity
– 10 mi spacing between control points
– #24 universal crossovers
– Set-out tracks every 10 mi
– Signal upgrade to enable 70 mph
– Curve reduction
• Durability / Maintainability
– 20 ft track centers
– Concrete ties on 141 lb rail
– Premium concrete turnouts with MPF’s
– Wireless CTC code line communication,
processor based CPs, and one HBD per
CP
– Replace timber bridges with culverts and
concrete bridges
293/27/2008
CrosstieCrosstie
Compacted Subgrade 12-18 InchesCompacted Subgrade 12-18 Inches
EarthEarth
Sub-Ballast 6 - 8 InchesSub-Ballast 6 - 8 Inches
Ballast 12 Inches Below Bottom of TieBallast 12 Inches Below Bottom of Tie
Roadbed ConstructionRoadbed Construction
3
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

11. 11
Recent Breakthroughs Track Components
• Concrete ties/elastic fasteners
• Premium performance rail, 141 lb RE,
415 Brinnell, 480’ rail length
• Kevlar insulated joints
• Moveable point frogs
• Joint elimination in turnouts
• Flange bearing frogs
• High speed turnouts
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

12. 12
Current Technology Track Geometry Evaluation
• Track evaluation for the system is
achieved by operating:
– Two rail bound cars (EC-4, EC-5).
• Frequencies based on degradation rates
and route class structure.
• Exceptions categorized as urgent and
critical.
• Track evaluation cars evaluate track
geometry, performance based track
geometry (PBTG), rail wear, rail surface,
rail component system for evaluating
joints, rail corrugation, tunnel laser
system, digital ROW video, and data used
for capital and maintenance planning.
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

13. 13
Emerging Technology Remote Track Assessment
• Vehicle Track Interaction (VTI)
– System measure wheel/axle impacts (force)
and car body acceleration (G’s) to identify
possible track defects from the rail car’s
perspective.
• MRail Track Deflection Msmt. System
– Produces exceptions that correlate with 10-ft
MCO and 10-ft ECO values generated from
space curve data collected with the EC-5
vehicle.
• Autonomous Track Geometry Measuring
Systems (ATGMS)VTI System
ATGMS MRail
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

14. 14
Emerging Technology Machine Vision Technology
• Purpose:
– Develop and implement “vision”
based systems for conducting asset
inspections, inventory verifications
and overall condition assessments.
• Potential Opportunities:
– Concrete tie evaluation
– Wood tie evaluation
– Rail surface conditions
– Joint bar inspections
– Rail brand recognition
– Fastening recognition & evaluation
– Rail seat abrasion on concrete ties
• Benefits
– Reduce demand for visual
inspections
– Improve track availability and
reliability
– Asset inventory
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

15. 15
Developing Technologies
Machine Vision Full Train Inspection System
• First comprehensive full train inspection
system to supplement FRA required
mechanical condition inspection
• Automated train inspection system
prototype installation, consisting of:
– Data center
– Microwave data communications
– Trackside equipment
Under Construction, North
Platte, Nebraska
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

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Developing Technologies
Internal Ultrasonic Rail Flaw Detection
• Broken rails top cause of track derailments
• Significant progress made in rail detection
• Challenges to rail flaw detection:
– Defects masked by rail surface conditions
– Limited coverage of rail cross section
– Defect orientation
– Defects in base of rail
• Developing technologies
– Laser induced ultrasonic's
– Phased Array
Current
Sound paths
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

17. 17
Developing Technologies Track Renewal Train (TRT)
• Track Renewal Train (TRT) converts wood
tie track to concrete at a rate of 2
miles/day.
– 12 hour window
• Installs new concrete ties & new ballast
on critical corridors
• TRT installs new premium rail on our
critical corridors and is equipped with
induction heating
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

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Developing Technologies
Track Maintenance Equipment
• Crawler backhoes for spot ballast
remediation
• Automated ballast distribution
• High speed track alignment and
leveling
• Ability to maximize on track ability
drives need for new technologies
High Speed Track Surfacing
Track Evaluation CarTrack Renewal Train
Fully Automated Ballast Distribution
Spot Ballast Remediation
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

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In Closing
• U. S. Rail Research $$ lag the rest of
the developed world
• North America has a world class
facility to pursue additional research
opportunities at TTCI in Pueblo
• FRA does disperse limited research
funds to Universities and UTCs
• Recent technology breakthroughs are
paying off through improved safety
and productivity
• Exciting time for industry
• If involved with railroad industry
consider AREMA
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad

20. 20
Thank you
Note: Some pictures and some content courtesy of Union Pacific Railroad