Rail Monthly Update #1

26 April 2006

 

 

4 MAJOR CWR PROJECTS LEAD 2006 RAIL PROGRAM

 

Four major projects headline the 2006 Rail program that will involve laying more than 60 miles of CWR and over 30 new turnouts.  The first of these projects, a 10 mile project on the DM&E, was started April 3 and completed before Easter.  The second project, a 14 mile project south of Austin, was started this past week and is scheduled to be completed by the middle of May.  The RJ Corman Company is installing the CWR on the first three projects, the two mentioned above plus an 11 mile project near Bellevue.  The final 17 mile project will be completed with LA Colo and our own crews late in the year.  A summary of the CWR and turnout/trackwork programs are listed below:

 

¨       Manager of Projects Tim Meyer supervised the installation of the first 10 miles of CWR on the DM&E as well as the installation of the two switches in that project area earlier this month.  The last rail was installed near Springfield Minnesota on the 13th of April.  Clean-up will continue and then ballasting and surfacing will complete this project by the end of May.  The speed will be raised to 40 MPH or higher.  This project has given the DM&E a stretch of 136# CWR from MP 182 to MP 214 on the Tracy sub and will allow speeds of up to 49 MPH in this area.

¨       Tim has just recently traveled to the IC&E’s Owatonna sub to supervise the 14 mile project at that location.  As this web site is being updated Tim has about 7 miles completed between Lyle and Varco. The last 7 miles will be laid beginning May 3rd and will be completed by May 10th.

¨       Our other Manager of Projects, Jack Boxleiter, will supervise the RJ Corman group on the third CWR project of 2006 near Bellevue.  This project will begin May 17th and is scheduled to be completed June 7th.

¨       Jack will also supervise the installation of nearly 10 miles of curve replacement CWR between Mason City and Polo Missouri later this year.  This “curve” rail will be laid by the IC&E tie gang and the LA Colo crew.

¨       Jack and Tim will share supervisory responsibilities for the last CWR project which is scheduled in 2006.  This project will be the installation of 17 miles of used 133# CWR that will be purchased from the UP and installed on track #2 between Lawson Jct and Moseby Jct., just north of Kansas City on the double track.  This rail is scheduled to be installed with two crews.  The first will be comprised of employees from both the DM&E and the IC&E and the other will be an LA Colo crew.  We are now scheduled to begin this project in October.

¨       The # 1 major turnout project for the year will be on the double track north of Kansas where over 20 turnouts will all be renewed with new premium 136# material.  The power turnouts for this location will be supplied by Progress Rail and the manual turnouts will be supplied by LB Foster Co.  Other switches will also be renewed in all CWR project areas, as well as the east end of the Marquette yard.

¨       We will also be replacing the diamond at Davis Jct. Illinois and are working with the CN/IC to remove the diamond at Lyle Minnesota. Both of these projects will eliminate slow orders that are caused by the deteriorated condition of the two diamonds.