(The Associated Press circulated the following story by Josh Funk on May 10, 2009.)
LINCOLN, Neb. — In the midst of the miles-long coal trains crossing the Plains, scientific researchers are measuring how much the rails bend as fully loaded Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe cars pass.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln research is designed to identify soft spots in the rails that might help railroads find and fix problems before they cause derailments. The prototype testing rig is attached to a coal car filled with sand to mimic the weight of a fully loaded coal car.
Shane Farritor, the associate professor of mechanical engineering overseeing the research at UNL, says if the research succeeds, it could save the railroads and their customers time and money.
“It’s really still a research project, but we think we’re onto something here,” Farritor said.
At the nation’s two largest railroads, officials who have been working with Farritor say the project needs some work before it might be useful.
BNSF track measurement engineer Dave Thornton said the biggest challenge for Farritor’s device is that the railroad can’t reliably determine what’s going on when the device says there is a soft spot. Thornton said sometimes what the device identifies as a soft spot isn’t really a problem at all.
“We have to fully understand what we’re finding and what field action needs to be taken,” said Thornton, who works for Fort Worth, Texas, based BNSF.
Engineering manager Bill Ge Meiner with Omaha-based Union Pacific said it would be premature to discuss the UNL research.
Officials at both railroads say Farritor’s research is just one of several projects in development to improve safety and efficiency.
Farritor said he likely has about a year of research left before the device will be ready for regular use by the railroads. The project began about six years ago.
The testing equipment has identified large and small areas of rail that were bending. Farritor said the smaller areas, like bending around a joint, are the most interesting because those are the ones most likely to be missed by a railroad’s existing test equipment.
“We’ve found trouble spots where there definitely were problems,” Farritor said.
The testing gear includes a crossbar that hangs parallel to the ground on the coal car, and sensors that check how close that crossbar gets to the ground as the train moves.
The measurements reveal when the railcar passes over softer areas because the crossbar gets closer to the ground.
“Soft tracks will bend more, and you will get failure,” Farritor said.
Rails might bend more at a joint between two pieces of metal, or they might bend where the rail bed is weakened, or they might bend in area where there has been a lot of moisture.
“Water and weak track go hand in hand almost,” Farritor said.
The research project is supported with a roughly $150,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration. UP and BNSF give Farritor access to rails and personnel to test the device. UP donated the coal car for the project.