1. The Carroll Group has developed a dry cleaning process for rail hopper cars that transports commodities like grain and fertilizer as an alternative to traditional water-based cleaning. 2. Their process involves inspecting cars for defects, then using compressed air hoses and hand scrapers to blast and scrape debris from all interior surfaces and hard to reach areas. 3. Debris is collected in bins pulled by skid steers under discharge gates for efficient disposal. The process is repeated until each car interior is completely clean. 4. On average it takes three to four labor hours to clean each car, with up to six employees working together on a single car. The dry process allows cars to be returned to service

1. TECHNOLOGY By LORI ROETS
>> TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS
Cleaning behind the ears New York Air Brake
hauls in Anchor
turbine will be used to offset the elec-
tricity consumed by the pumps and con-
trols of the yard’s wastewater treatment
Even a single kernel of corn renders a hopper unfit for loading and needing to be scrubbed clean New York Air Brake Corp. has acquired
Anchor Brake Shoe Co. Both are now
plant. This is Norfolk Southern’s second
members of the Knorr-Bremse Group, a wind turbine; the first was installed in
leading supplier of air brake control sys- 2007 at Bellevue Yard in Ohio.
tems and components, electronically
controlled braking systems, foundation Boston riders are the first in the nation
brakes, training simulators, and train- to enjoy free system-wide WiFi service
handling systems.
on their commuter trains. The Massa-
Safefreight has created the first GPS chusetts Bay Transportation Authority
system designed to track intermodal began installing the AirBoxX2 routers in
containers moving over land from port December, and hopes to have the entire
terminals to Midwestern and East Coast fleet of 258 coaches Internet-ready by
destinations. Now in testing at the Port spring. The WAAV technology company
of Tacoma, Wash., the system provides
provides routers and cellular broadband
data such as location, speed, direction,
starts, and stops. to other mass transit providers as well,
such as Greyhound and LimoLiner.
Railinc Corp., which created the Umler
database, an electronic resource main- Eastern Rail Corp. has contracted with
taining data for more than 2 million piec- LRM Industries to manufacture thermo-
es of rail, steamship, and highway ser- plastic composite infrastructure compo-
vice equipment, now offers the Umler nents, starting with cover boards and side
Equipment Index, a quarterly report ana- plates for the third rail on electric sys-
lyzing the North American railcar fleet. tems. The TPF ThermoPlastic Flowforming
The index provides a complete overview process gives greater strength to units
of the industry’s equipment, with the total than other thermoform processes, and
fleet size, and composition by segments the parts are 100 percent recyclable.
and equipment type, including cars, lo-
A Caterpillar skid steer does double duty, moving catchall bins under open hopper hatches and pulling along the air compressor (left). In- comotives, and end-of-train devices. Bombardier Transportation has devel-
side the hopper, cleaning remains, in part, a hands-on job. A worker clears nooks and crannies with a hand scraper. Two photos: Carroll Group oped the first contactless operating
Norfolk Southern has completed the in- tram. Instead of a catenary or third-rail
Like miners, they excavate empty grain >> Why not water? sunrise. Top hatches are opened so natural stallation of a 50-kilowatt wind turbine system, Primove technology uses induc-
trains as if they were above-ground mine- light can aid the first physical step of the in its North Kansas City yard. The tur- tive power transfer through components
shafts. Helmet lamps and hand tools aid the Some railcar-cleaning companies still use process: inspecting for mechanical defects. bine comprises three 24-foot rotor installed under the vehicle and beneath
search as car cleaners crawl up discharge water, the previous standard. The Carroll When possible, Carroll makes the repairs blades mounted on a 100-foot tower. the tracks. The roof-installed Mitrac En-
gates and reach down through top hatches, Group has found several compelling rea- before releasing the car from the cleanout, Estimated to generate more than ergy Saver component stores energy
scouring recesses to remove leftover nuggets sons to change: but if extensive repairs are required, crews 100,000 kilowatt hours annually, the gained during both operation and brak-
of grain, fertilizer, or lime. These are all com- will designate it bad-ordered and send it to ing using high-performance, double-
modities that are light enough to be carried 1. Interior drying time with water delays an appropriate repair shop. layer capacitor technology.
in large quantities without violating most getting the car back in service A fall protection system of ropes and har-
railroads’ 286,000-pound weight limit, so . Water causes oxidation and corrosion
2 nesses enables cleaners to walk almost a full Closed-circuit television upgrades in
they share use of jumbo hopper cars. This over time mile along the car tops without dismount- London’s Clapham Junction Station may
means that a hopper that carried fertilizer . Working from the top, it is difficult to
3 ing. A 375CFM diesel compressor pushes mark the start of affordable, effective
yesterday might be hauling grain today. Re- thoroughly clean the car 150 psi of air pressure up through a 100-foot “smart” surveillance. The system, de-
gardless of what was hauled the previous run, . Water + seeds = germination. Eliminat-
4 hose for the cleaners to, as President and veloped by Agent Vi, is programmed to
the cars must be cleaned to meet strict gov- ing water eliminates vegetation growth CEO Brian Carroll calls it, “sandblast with- analyze video in real time for specific
ernment Safe Food/Safe Feed certification in and on cars out sand.” Extension poles bring the air noz- data and behavior. Meanwhile, re-
and quality assurance standards. And, this . Wastewater permits are required to
5 zle deep inside for blowing debris off walls searchers at Britain’s University of
labor-intensive process must be done quickly handle the water from the wash process and out from hard-to-reach corners and Portsmouth are studying software that
to keep rail transport of grain competitive. 6. Water-based processes require more niches. Meanwhile, workers supplement the would enable cameras to recognize
For more than a decade, the Carroll electricity than dry processes air process with hand scrapers when neces- crime-associated sounds such as hos-
Group Inc. (www.carroll.ms) has done just sary to ensure complete removal of all for- tile language and breaking glass.
that, cleaning an average 40,000 cars per eign material. The debris is then caught in
year. Establishing on-site partnerships with (humidity, for example, will cause particles bins on skid steers positioned under the dis- The U.S. Department of Transportation
major shippers Cargill, Mosaic, and Farm- to stick hard and fast), the ability to make charge gates, making disposal simple and ef- has mandated stricter safety design
land-Norsk/Hydro is one way it has stream- even a general allocation of resources in ad- ficient. The process cycles again and again: standards for tank cars transporting ma-
lined the process: going to the cars rather vance is an advantage not to be underesti- inspect, scrape, air blast, repeat, until each terial classified as poisonous by inhala-
than having them brought to Carroll. Re- mated. Make no mistake: Car cleaning is interior is immaculate and ready to be filled tion. New standards include thicker out-
ceiving a list of the next day’s incoming cars painstaking work, with an average of three to to the top with that sweet gold: grain. er jackets and/or inner shells, new
the night before helps, too. Since hoppers four labor-hours per car. As many as five to safety features to protect the valves, fit-
require different degrees of cleaning de- six employees might work on a single car at LORI ROETS, after more than 20 years at CSX, Going green in the Midwest: Norfolk tings, and nozzles, and a maximum op-
pending on factors such as the last com- once, depending what needs to be done. is senior consultant for Teradata, a data ware- Southern’s second turbine. Ryan Schoenfeldt erating speed of 50 mph.
modity carried or exposure conditions The car cleaner’s day begins soon after house and business intelligence provider.
GRAIN SPECIAL www.TrainsMag.com 23