Derailment in Montclair

[ThirdRail7]

Maybe they had a batch from the same company that sold Metro-North, LIRR and Amtrak defective ties. If the ties crack at the right place (where the rail is joined) it could indeed cause a rail spread underneath the train. Additionally, it is not uncommon for railroads to share (read sell off) excessive supplies. Indeed, if you were ever able to walk Secaucus Junction and its associated interlockings, you'd notice they are littered with NJT ties.

My guess is jlr3266 is correct. They replaced everything in the section (batch) as precautionary.

If they were from the same company as other defective ties, why were they not removed earlier? Replacing the entire batch is not a longer term solution. It does nothing to prevent future bad batches. The railroads need a better quality control system. Experience has shown that the manufactures cannot be trusted in quality control matters.

The company that made those ties are no longer around and replacing the ties costs a fortune. Since they weren't footing the costs of tie replacement and the associated labor, every railroad that received them had to look into their budget as well as their crystal ball and decide the proper action. Amtrak has spent years replacing all of the ties. This of course assumes they received ties from the same company.

If not, well I'm not versed in concrete, but I'm interested in knowing how you "test" a 1000lb concrete railroad tie to determine if it will ultimately fail 10-15 years after you install it. I'm not sure the Sperry rail car picks up deep flaws in the ties although they do pick up deep flaws in the rail.

A track inspector on foot may not see a forthcoming flaw with the naked eye.

Sometimes, things just "happen."

[zerovanity59]

The company that made those ties are no longer around and replacing the ties costs a fortune. Since they weren't footing the costs of tie replacement and the associated labor, every railroad that received them had to look into their budget as well as their crystal ball and decide the proper action. Amtrak has spent years replacing all of the ties. This of course assumes they received ties from the same company.

If not, well I'm not versed in concrete, but I'm interested in knowing how you "test" a 1000lb concrete railroad tie to determine if it will ultimately fail 10-15 years after you install it. I'm not sure the Sperry rail car picks up deep flaws in the ties although they do pick up deep flaws in the rail.

A track inspector on foot may not see a forthcoming flaw with the naked eye.

Sometimes, things just "happen."

Things never just happen.

I am not familiar with methods to non-destructively inspect concrete, but I am sure it can be done. Samples from each batch should be destructively tested before they are used. Believe me, there are machines that can break one in minutes and simulate years of wear in hours. More important than testing is making sure the manufacturing process is correct and consistent.

[zerovanity59]

I quick Google search indicates there are a number of ways to non-destructively test concrete. One company claimed they could test installed railroad ties at 1 tie per second.

[sean3f]

The company that sold all the defective ties to all of these government agencies is no longer around... Humm.... I think we are back to the corruption issue. We need to look more closely at what these agencies are up to. Investigate and find out who is making these poor decisions and why.

Or, we can just say things like, "uh, I guess we have no way of checking the quality of materials used on our railroads in 2014" or "uh, I guess they just decided to spend a week replacing ties because, what the heck?" Or " the real cause of the accident was the train hitting the ground, the broken ties were only proximal"

[R36 Combine Coach]

The company that sold all the defective ties to all of these government agencies is no longer around... Humm.... I think we are back to the corruption issue. We need to look more closely at what these agencies are up to. Investigate and find out who is making these poor decisions and why. Or, we can just say things like, "uh, I guess we have no way of checking the quality of materials used on our railroads in 2014" or "uh, I guess they just decided to spend a week replacing ties because, what the heck?" Or " the real cause of the accident was the train hitting the ground, the broken ties were only proximal"

It's not just low price that should decide a contract, the record and reputation of the vendors needs to be carefully reviewed too. Read: Wedtech.

[25Hz]

I thought amtrak had bought this company out to complete the defective tie replacement or some such? Am i confusing two things?