Metro's revised track work & maintenance plan

[Sand Box John]

"srepetsk"
Metro's reporting a prime mover derail last night whose side mirror impacted the front of a Silver Line train between East Falls Church and Ballston - http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/P ... aseID=6113" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Press release has sense been revised, The piece of equipment that derailed was a "spiker".

[MCL1981]

There was also a collision at the New Carrollton yard this AM

https://twitter.com/MetroReasons/status ... 2401489920" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What are shear bolts?

Did you see the wordsmithing on NBC?
"Later that morning, a train made rear-end contact with a stopped train ahead of it in the New Carrollton Yard on the Orange Line. Metro said the railcar bodies did not come into contact, but there was contact between the couplers at the end of the cars."

[farecard]

What are shear bolts?

Bolts designed to break at a specific force. I assume this refers to the bolts holding the coupler to the frame.

[HiLoMo]

What are shear bolts?

Bolts designed to break at a specific force. I assume this refers to the bolts holding the coupler to the frame.

They are probably talking about the shear pins built into the draft gear. When the coupler is impacted with great enough shear force, the shear pins break and release the shear ring which acts as an additional buffer. Coupler assembly will probably have to be replaced and there may be potential damage to end underframe assembly if the shear pins broke and the anti-climbers engaged.

[srepetsk]

WMATA put out a press release on the status of Surge 1: http://wmata.com/about_metro/news/Press ... aseID=6114" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - as of Monday the 13th:
Insulator Renewal (113% completed)
Fastener Renewal (118% completed)
Track Bed Cleaning (110% completed)
Drain Maintenance (131% completed)
Leak Repair (294% completed)
Intrusion Detection Warning (IDW) System Renewal (160% completed)

Additional traction power work is 43% done (http://www.wmata.com/Images/Mrel/MF_Upl ... Report.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?), and 3rd rail maint & joint elimination hadn't started when they put the update out.

[MCL1981]

Am I the only scratching my head about those numbers??

[JackRussell]

Am I the only scratching my head about those numbers??

No. I can only guess that they targeted a ceetain amount of work, and they were able to accomplish more than that.

[MCL1981]

I guess. Perhaps that is how much was anticipated to be done by Monday vs how much was actually done by Monday. An extremely unusual statistic. But not surprising the PR department at WMATA would spin something out like that.

[JDC]

WAMU has a story summarizing the status of Surge 1, relying on Metro's numbers of course. http://wamu.org/news/16/06/15/some_work ... ro_reports

[Sand Box John]

"JDC"
WAMU has a story summarizing the status of Surge 1, relying on Metro's numbers of course. http://wamu.org/news/16/06/15/some_work ... ro_reports


Like I said this morning in my post at Greater Greater Washington, WMATA's own press release provided more detail on what was accomplished during SafeTrack Surge 1 then the WAMU article.

[MACTRAXX]

WMATA has been using Pandrol fasteners for at least 20 years now on both ballasted track and concrete track beds. The plates are bolted to the ties.

Here is a closeup of the fastening:



At the time of the photo, the fasteners on the new ties only had 2 bolts - the fasteners on the older ties had 4. I expect that this is only because they had not yet completed the installation process.

JR: Thanks for the close up picture of Pandrol plates in use on Metro track...

Since then I have noticed that the LIRR uses variations of these plates: First - three square holes on either side of the shoulders fastened by
two hair-pin type spikes on either side and more recently the four outside holes are round and two center holes are square. Some times one
will notice traditional spikes driven into the square hole. The round holes are used for two wood screw type bolts as shown in the picture.
All use the distinctive Pandrol "pretzel" clips to fasten the rails and plates.

The LIRR has used Pandrol plates and fasteners since the mid to late 1970s on welded rail installations primarily and another distinction that
they create is a noticeably different sound when trains travel over tracks equipped with them as opposed to more traditional track fasteners...

MACTRAXX

[JackRussell]

Metro has released another video showing activity during Surge #2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7PVTrAzcb0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Sand Box John]

"JackRussell"
Metro has released another video showing activity during Surge #2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7PVTrAzcb0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The video confirms my assumption. WMATA is totally replacing the trackwork in D&G junction down to including the grout pads the rail fasteners and turnouts are bolted to.

[JDC]

"JackRussell"
Metro has released another video showing activity during Surge #2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7PVTrAzcb0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The video confirms my assumption. WMATA is totally replacing the trackwork in D&G junction down to including the grout pads the rail fasteners and turnouts are bolted to.

What does this tell us about the prior state of the trackwork in this area? That it was basically at the end of its useful life? It seems like over the last 2 months or so there were continuous problems in this area.

[Sand Box John]

"JDC"
What does this tell us about the prior state of the trackwork in this area? That it was basically at the end of its useful life? It seems like over the last 2 months or so there were continuous problems in this area.

WMATA routinely changes out trackwork on a regular schedule. Interlockings that don't see daily use, about every 10 years. Those that do more often. Last time the trackwork in D&G junction was done was during the blitz to convert all of the #8 turnouts to guarded turnouts. All of the pieces and parts, rail sections, rail fasteners, turnout parts, grout pads, Wee-Z bonds, cab signal antenna loops, third rail, third rail insulators, traction power cables both feed and ground etc have different service life lengths. All of those things can't be done at the same time when all or most have reached or exceeded the end of their service life.

Looks to me like when WMATA and its contractors are done, D&G junction will be in the same or better condition then it was when the origenal trackwork contractor turned it over to WMATA back in the 1970s.