Clean Cab wrote:Weight of cars and engines has nothing to do with the concrete ties failing. Poor drainage is the culprit.Wasn't the integrity of the concrete ties (or lack thereof on the part of the manufacturer, for that matter) part of the problem as well?
Railroad Forums
Metro North Issues Speed Restrictions
- Discussion relating to the operations of MTA MetroNorth Railroad including west of Hudson operations and discussion of CtDOT sponsored rail operations such as Shore Line East and the Springfield to New Haven Hartford Line
Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, nomis, FL9AC, Jeff Smith
NH2060 wrote:There were a shippment of ties that were defective that have since been replaced. I think all work related to the was completed two or three years ago.Clean Cab wrote:Weight of cars and engines has nothing to do with the concrete ties failing. Poor drainage is the culprit.Wasn't the integrity of the concrete ties (or lack thereof on the part of the manufacturer, for that matter) part of the problem as well?
Concrete ties can withstand the weight of any train. It's the soft spots that cause the ties to be pushed down by a train, then it pops back up causing the ties to be literally scraped down by the ballast. It is this weakening that causes the concrete ties to crumble. The gray mud puddles you see is the made up of pulverized concrete, dirt and water.
I'm stuck on a sandbar on Cape Cod, and I couldn't be happier!!!
It all ties ( no pun itended) into a basic RR track maintenance rule. Good Drainage prevents many problems.
MTA Names Blue Ribbon Panel to Study Rail SafetySeptember 20th, 2013
The MTA has created a Blue Ribbon Panel of six distinguished railroad and transportation experts to examine the circumstances behind recent safety-related incidents at MTA Metro-North Railroad, MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA New York City Transit. The experts will study the causes behind those incidents, examine the agencies’ maintenance and inspection programs, and ensure they promote a culture of safety within the MTA.
“These six experts are widely respected in their field and uniquely qualified to review maintenance and workplace practices, protocols and strategies that may have a relation to these recent incidents,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “We want to learn lessons so these particular problems never happen again, but also we also want to make sure the MTA has a rigorous safety culture that ensures every employee works to prevent unforeseen problems in the future. These panelists are some of the best in the business, and we want their scrutiny to make us better as well.”
The six members of the panel are:
•Louis T. Cerny, former executive director of the American Railway Engineering Association (AREA, now known as AREMA), executive director of the Association of American Railroads Engineering Division.
•Mortiner L. Downey, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation and former MTA Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.
•Jack Quinn, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York who served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
•Conrad Ruppert, Jr., senior research engineer at the University of Illinois and 35-year veteran of Amtrak.
•Rodney Slater, former director of the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the Clinton Administration.
•William Van Trump, former Senior Assistant Vice President of Engineering at the Union Pacific Railroad and director and past president of AREMA.
Metro-North, LIRR and New York City Transit have each experienced derailments in the last several months, with track-related defects identified as either a potential cause or a contributing factor. In addition, an employee fatality on a section of Metro-North track that had been closed to train traffic has pointed to a need to review safety procedures and the overall safety culture. The Blue Ribbon Panel will pay particular attention to track maintenance practices, and will determine whether any system-wide improvements to agency track and infrastructure programs would prevent future occurrences.
http://new.mta.info/news/2013/09/20/mta ... ail-safety" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The MTA has created a Blue Ribbon Panel of six distinguished railroad and transportation experts to examine the circumstances behind recent safety-related incidents at MTA Metro-North Railroad, MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA New York City Transit. The experts will study the causes behind those incidents, examine the agencies’ maintenance and inspection programs, and ensure they promote a culture of safety within the MTA.
“These six experts are widely respected in their field and uniquely qualified to review maintenance and workplace practices, protocols and strategies that may have a relation to these recent incidents,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “We want to learn lessons so these particular problems never happen again, but also we also want to make sure the MTA has a rigorous safety culture that ensures every employee works to prevent unforeseen problems in the future. These panelists are some of the best in the business, and we want their scrutiny to make us better as well.”
The six members of the panel are:
•Louis T. Cerny, former executive director of the American Railway Engineering Association (AREA, now known as AREMA), executive director of the Association of American Railroads Engineering Division.
•Mortiner L. Downey, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation and former MTA Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.
•Jack Quinn, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York who served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
•Conrad Ruppert, Jr., senior research engineer at the University of Illinois and 35-year veteran of Amtrak.
•Rodney Slater, former director of the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the Clinton Administration.
•William Van Trump, former Senior Assistant Vice President of Engineering at the Union Pacific Railroad and director and past president of AREMA.
Metro-North, LIRR and New York City Transit have each experienced derailments in the last several months, with track-related defects identified as either a potential cause or a contributing factor. In addition, an employee fatality on a section of Metro-North track that had been closed to train traffic has pointed to a need to review safety procedures and the overall safety culture. The Blue Ribbon Panel will pay particular attention to track maintenance practices, and will determine whether any system-wide improvements to agency track and infrastructure programs would prevent future occurrences.
http://new.mta.info/news/2013/09/20/mta ... ail-safety" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If Conductors are in charge, why are they promoted to be Engineer???
Retired Triebfahrzeugführer. I am not a moderator.
Retired Triebfahrzeugführer. I am not a moderator.
DutchRailnut wrote:MTA Names Blue Ribbon Panel to Study Rail SafetySeptember 20th, 2013There are a couple of names here who make sense but what does a former Congressman know about railroad engineering and track defects? I think it would have been better to have their own people do this job or at least stick with railroad or former railroad engineering experts of whom I am sure there are some wandering about. I am not terribly impresseed with this development but I hope something constructive comes out of it.
The MTA has created a Blue Ribbon Panel of six distinguished railroad and transportation experts to examine the circumstances behind recent safety-related incidents at MTA Metro-North Railroad, MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA New York City Transit. The experts will study the causes behind those incidents, examine the agencies’ maintenance and inspection programs, and ensure they promote a culture of safety within the MTA.
“These six experts are widely respected in their field and uniquely qualified to review maintenance and workplace practices, protocols and strategies that may have a relation to these recent incidents,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “We want to learn lessons so these particular problems never happen again, but also we also want to make sure the MTA has a rigorous safety culture that ensures every employee works to prevent unforeseen problems in the future. These panelists are some of the best in the business, and we want their scrutiny to make us better as well.”
The six members of the panel are:
•Louis T. Cerny, former executive director of the American Railway Engineering Association (AREA, now known as AREMA), executive director of the Association of American Railroads Engineering Division.
•Mortiner L. Downey, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation and former MTA Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.
•Jack Quinn, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York who served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
•Conrad Ruppert, Jr., senior research engineer at the University of Illinois and 35-year veteran of Amtrak.
•Rodney Slater, former director of the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the Clinton Administration.
•William Van Trump, former Senior Assistant Vice President of Engineering at the Union Pacific Railroad and director and past president of AREMA.
Metro-North, LIRR and New York City Transit have each experienced derailments in the last several months, with track-related defects identified as either a potential cause or a contributing factor. In addition, an employee fatality on a section of Metro-North track that had been closed to train traffic has pointed to a need to review safety procedures and the overall safety culture. The Blue Ribbon Panel will pay particular attention to track maintenance practices, and will determine whether any system-wide improvements to agency track and infrastructure programs would prevent future occurrences.
http://new.mta.info/news/2013/09/20/mta ... ail-safety" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Noel Weaver
Noel Weaver wrote:There are a couple of names here who make sense but what does a former Congressman know about railroad engineering and track defects?Probably not a whole lot.
Noel Weaver
What I bet he does know, though, as a former member of the Railroads Subcommittee of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, is who to talk to in DC to get some Feddybucks steered the MTA's way should the need arise.
Not one former or current MN employees on the list? Interesting.
I'm stuck on a sandbar on Cape Cod, and I couldn't be happier!!!
Clean Cab wrote:Not one former or current MN employees on the list? Interesting.Maybe it's more objective that way.
Seth G. Westchester County NY
My photos: http://www.x635Photos.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
My photos: http://www.x635Photos.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The TLV train will be starting tonight on the Hudson line, more restrictions soon to come?
Hurry up and wait at the signal!
I'm surprised to hear about the problems with Metro-North's track. I always though Metro-North had better track than the LIRR.
Rails are better than roads!
TacSupport1 wrote:Clean Cab wrote:Not one former or current MN employees on the list? Interesting.Maybe it's more objective that way.
A current MN employee might reveal too much truth, and goodness knows any panel investigating MN doesn't want to be bothered by facts!!!
I'm stuck on a sandbar on Cape Cod, and I couldn't be happier!!!
As a regular rider of MN (Hudson Line), one thing that I've noticed is that the cars
seem to lurch around a lot. (There have been times when I've been worried that
the train would lurch right off the rails, though of course I'm no expert on that.)
I don't recall noticing that kind of lurching on Amtrak trains.
Does this have anything to do with the (current) condition of the track?
seem to lurch around a lot. (There have been times when I've been worried that
the train would lurch right off the rails, though of course I'm no expert on that.)
I don't recall noticing that kind of lurching on Amtrak trains.
Does this have anything to do with the (current) condition of the track?
The problem is much less noticeable on Amtrak's trains. As far as riding Metro North trains is concerned, I think the absolute worst spot on the Hudson Line is CP19 just north of Greystone on 1 track. Sitting in the car directly behind the locomotive, it is nerve-wracking to see just how much the locomotive rocks. I think Stevie Wonder was doing the tamping there.
RearOfSignal wrote:The TLV train will be starting tonight on the Hudson line, more restrictions soon to come?The TLV started on the Hudson last Monday (I worked it Tuesday night). It was supposed to run last night (Sunday) but didn't due to problems with the test equiptment. From what I understand it could be a few days before the repairs are made.