Tools and techniques both new and old help railroads cope with weather extremes.
It’s the proverbial perfect storm. Across much of North America, the period from late fall through winter is when just about everything that can hinder the business of moving trains comes together in full force. First there’s the pre-Christmas flood of containerized merchandise arriving at seaports, which translates into longer and more frequent stack trains to carry those goods inland. That import traffic usually peaks long before December, but its aftermath in the form of expedited post-retail packages can keep domestic intermodal trains amplified right into the week of Christmas itself. Then comes the grain rush, as summer’s harvest flows toward trackside elevators and thousands of covered hoppers emerge from seasonal storage, spawning a surge in unit grain trains that can last well into March. Additionally, trainloads of thermal coal bound for powerplants both overseas and domestically experience an uptick during the dark, cold, energy-intensive days of winter.
And then there’s the weather. The struggle of running trains through snow, ice and severe cold has been around as long as railroading itself. But recent winters have truly put railways to the test. December 2013 through January 2014 was particularly brutal, with the double-edged sword of rapid growth in unit crude business and extreme weather conditions for the wintertime logjams that rippled across rail corridors in both the U.S. and Canada. However, as more than one railway official has expressed, winter weather has a way of exposing weaknesses, and those weaknesses don’t come in the form of added oil traffic or heavy snow.
Lessons learned
Union Pacific spokeswoman Kristen South tells Railway Age, “While this past winter was milder, the preparations we put into place last year helped mitigate the impact from snowfall and cold weather. We are prepared to respond this winter, and to any extreme weather such as flooding, with extra resources and coverage.” UP now relies on winter weather command centers on each Northern Region service unit, staffed throughout the winter to make ground-level decisions on such things as train crew deployment, maintenance coordination and contractor management. Part of UP’s focus is on the trains themselves, and the Mechanical Department has developed tighter air line and more stringent air test parameters. UP also uses train size and locomotive configurations analysis to determine optimal designs for extreme weather.
Railroads have upped their budgeting for winter-related needs. At UP, that means new equipment investments ranging from jet blowers to portable backup generators and blizzard coaches that can transport crews. More than 50 switch heaters will be added to supplement the existing network of 1,600 switch locations with snow melters or blowers.
BNSF has also taken steps to reduce winter’s impact on its personnel, operations, and customer service. Heeding the lessons of the 2013-2014 winter season, BNSF installed 150 additional switch heaters at locations that previously did not have protection from cold temperatures, bringing its total network count to nearly 3,000. Sub-freezing temperatures also impede airflow through train air lines, which increases the time needed to achieve full brake release, which can then multiply into hundreds of hours in lost throughput across the network in one day. From a Service Design perspective, BNSF is utilizing distributed power to mitigate air-related issues and the need to reduce train lengths due to cold.
BNSF also added nine teams of Mechanical Rapid Responders, bringing the number to 148 in 37 locations. MRRs are cross-trained to quickly resolve car and locomotive issues, including those caused by winter weather, 24 hours a day. They are positioned throughout the BNSF system, but the majority are located in the upper Midwest, where operations experience the lowest temperatures and a higher likelihood of ice and snow accumulation.
Meanwhile, Up in the Mountains
If there’s one place where railroads wage a down-and-dirty battle against winter, it’s in the mountains. BNSF’s front line, in what is virtually an armed conflict, lies at its northernmost crossing of the Rocky Mountains: Marias Pass.
On the west slope of Marias, in John F. Stevens Canyon, more than a dozen avalanche chutes take direct aim at BNSF’s doubletracked main line. At most spots, the railroad is protected by snowsheds that were built roughly a century ago using stout treated timbers. BNSF budgets close to $40,000 annually toward routine maintenance of those sheds, and at times has invested in more extensive upgrades. In 2007 and 2008, footings for two separate snowsheds were strengthened using 55-foot long, 8-inch diameter steel micropiles, which were driven into the ground, filled with concrete and capped with steel crossbeams to provide stronger support beneath the existing timber columns.
Even with nearly 7,300 feet of its Marias Pass main line covered by snowsheds, BNSF contends with an occasional avalanche landing on its property. The most recent ones of significance were in March 2014, when a series of slides left both main tracks buried under seven feet of snow.
Not long after a January 2004 derailment on Marias Pass, BNSF developed an Avalanche Safety Team headed by David Hamre, whose extensive knowledge in avalanche behavior had already been applied on the Alaska Railroad. Hamre recommended that BNSF use explosives to trigger controlled avalanches when snowpack conditions grow precarious and trains can be kept clear. Snowplows and dozers can then remove avalanche debris under safer managed circumstances.
BNSF now implements 24/7 coverage by engineering forces on Marias Pass, including two temporary Assistant Roadmasters. Snow level updates are provided twice daily on the Montana Division to verify that plowing is keeping pace with what BNSF calls “demand for brake glaze prevention.” With close to 2,000 route-miles of main lines to maintain in Montana alone, BNSF positions snowplows on standby at Essex, Great Falls and Glendive.
West of Spokane, Wash., BNSF’s Northern Corridor forks into three routes that penetrate the Cascade Range via Stevens Pass, Stampede Pass and the Columbia River Gorge. In western Washington, BNSF maintains an active fleet of equipment that is required to keep the lines open. To cover Stevens Pass, there is a rotary plow at Wenatchee, and at Skykomish, Jordan spreaders, big-wing snowplows and mini plows. For Stampede Pass, BNSF has Jordan spreaders and big-wing equipment stationed at Auburn, Wash. As for lower elevations, the Columbia River Gorge typically doesn’t require machine snow removal support, only occasional maintenance personnel to sweep and blow switches of ice and snow. Mudslides are another challenge in the Pacific Northwest rainforest area geography. Retaining walls have been installed at locations where slides have been known to block BNSF and Amtrak service north of Seattle, but the seasonal job of keeping western Washington trackage clear of mud depends equally on BNSF’s pre-positioning of equipment.
Gaining the upper hand
Zak Andersen of BNSF describes in detail what takes place during the months leading up to winter. “Each of our twelve operating divisions devises a Winter Action Plan (WAP). Every year, they review their plans to ensure that resources and procedures are in place based on each division’s unique conditions and challenges, and also implementing insights from last winter. The safety of our employees comes first. We spend considerable time ensuring team member readiness relative to winter exposures. Everything from driving to work in inclement weather, proper footwear for icy conditions, and how often to get out of extreme weather to warm up, to the importance of adequate rest and hydration.”
“At the beginning of September,” Andersen says, “We begin the installation of switch heaters and switch covers, distribute brooms and shovels, crib out switches and fill all propane tanks. The target is to have all plans in place and equipment winter-ready by November 1. For example, all BNSF-owned snow removal equipment has had a full mechanical inspection and repairs, and switch heaters have been test-fired and repaired if necessary. We start the first WAP calls mid-September with division officers, followed by two additional calls before November 1. These calls review every aspect of winter planning, from inventory, location, and condition of snow removal equipment, emergency ballast supply, and derailment [track] panels to terminal preparedness, locomotive and vehicle weatherization and crew considerations.”
Canadian Pacific’s planning process includes pre-staging track materials and equipment such as plows strategically positioned to respond to any situations as quickly as possible.
Keeping Chicago open
The rail industry’s new winter-prep mindset goes beyond just keeping the home territory operating. It’s also about ensuring connectivity with joint carriers. UP says Chicago is a prime example of where the toughest lessons of winter have been learned. Looking back at 2013-14, Dean Ridder, manager of terminal operations in Rochelle, Ill., said, “In addition to the bitter cold, the problem for us was blowing snow. There are more than 50 switches between Rochelle and Chicago, and once we got them cleaned out, they’d be filled right back up with snow again. Even heated blowers, which are designed to keep switches clear of ice and snow, couldn’t keep up. We’ve become better prepared to deal with each area’s problems, whether it’s blowing snow in Rochelle or lake-effect ‘Snowmaggedon’ closer to Lake Michigan.”
BNSF points to significant investments “in Chicago proper and Chicago bypass interchange trackage” which have served them well in winter months. The company says, “We are more aggressively leveraging the use of pre-arranged, alternate interchange gateways with interchange partners at a much higher frequency than years past.” Not just in rail-to-rail interchange, but in truck-rail interchange as well. BNSF says, “Additional parking capacity was put in service, mostly in Chicago, in anticipation of higher terminal dwell, and subsequent higher terminal inventories that come with lower dray capacity during severe weather.” This involved 800 trailer/container parking spots being added at three Chicago facilities: Willow Springs, Cicero and Corwith.
There may be no greater indication that BNSF feels ready for its next round with winter than its decision to resume expedited domestic intermodal service across its Northern Corridor, beginning this September. After months of increasing congestion, compounded by record-levels of new track construction, the heavy winter of 2013-14 dealt a severe blow to BNSF’s three- to four-day running time between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago. Domestic intermodal was downshifted to a five-day run across this lane in spring of 2014 in order to allow all traffic groups to move fluidly and to get capacity projects completed more quickly. One year later, that move has paid off, with the company now planning to trim an average 20% off those running times with faster service that it says is “in direct response to marketplace demand and a result of BNSF’s record capital investments along its Northern Corridor route.”
Suppliers keep the heat on high
Suppliers that specialize in assisting railroads in their annual battle with winter include Knox Kershaw, Nordco and Progress Rail Services (ballast regulators with snow plow attachments); Condor Signal, Wausau Everest, RPM Tech and Rails Company (air and/or snow blowers); Hovey Industries, Railway Equipment Co. and CCI Thermal Technologies (switch heaters); Modern Track Machinery (snow thrower attachments); and Danella Rental Systems (plow systems).
Of all the debilitating effects that snow and ice can have, frozen switches are perhaps the worst. “Our customers are taking switch protection during winter events to a new level by ordering our most efficient and robust unit, the 5-hp gas hot air blower with an AC drive, in conjunction with fiberglass switch covers and Sno-Net® connectivity,” says Railway Equipment Co. VP and General Manager Joe Ashley. “The 5-hp unit provides maximum heating capability while the AC drive minimizes in-rush current during startup, allowing these units to be installed in areas where utility power traditionally would be unable to support them. RECo’s fiberglass switch covers have been designed to provide maximum protection while minimizing install time. Sno-Net® connectivity is becoming the norm for many customers, especially in remote locations where inspecting switches during winter events puts employees at an increased risk for winter-related accidents. Our latest addition is our switch machine monitor that leverages switch heater connectivity, allowing railroads further visibility of the effectiveness of switch heaters.”
Locomotive APUs (auxiliary power units), such as those supplied by HOTSTART, are in widespread use to combat freezing temperatures. The Vermont Railway System has installed 13 HOTSTART APUs since 2011; they have proved highly beneficial during cold New England winters, according to CMO George Zwolen.
HOTSTART offers two locomotive-specific electric-powered engine heating systems. One is a dual-fluid heater that maintains prime-mover coolant and oil temperatures during layover periods. The other is a coolant-only model. HOTSTART also manufactures a diesel-powered APU, a self-contained system that runs off the locomotive’s diesel fuel supply. “All our engine heating systems are designed to allow idling locomotives to be shut down and easily restarted, even after days sitting in freezing weather,” the company says. “Equipping a locomotive with a HOTSTART block heater eliminates the problems with idling, including wasted fuel and oil, wet-stacking, emissions, noise and engine wear. By circulating heated coolant throughout the engine, our heating systems keep the locomotive’s water system warm during shutdowns. Depending on ambient temperature, they will maintain the prime-mover’s coolant between 90 and 120 degrees F. The prime-mover’s oil is maintained between 80 and 100 degrees F.”
Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono contributed to this story.