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2 P 00 RO 5 C FIL O ED NV Se I EN SEe N TI E P PI O AaGg CT N E e2 UR 2 10 ES Crossties NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 T h e M a g a z i n e F o r P r o d u c e r s A n d U s e r s O f T r e a t e d W o o d C r o s s t i e s A n d R e l a t e d P r o d u c t s . SPECIAL REPORTS RTA Donates Thousands To Aid Katrina Victims Association Well Represented At AREMA Conference Annual Convention Shown In Pictures Helms Takes On Role As Association President 2005: A Tipping Point For Short Line Railroads Railroad Operates On 5 Principles Maine’s Forestry, Rail Industries Profiled PLUS: A Q&A With RTA President Tony Helms convention 2005 | coverage what they said AT THE CONVENTION Presenters Discuss Demand, Challenges & More Packed with information and activities, RTA’s 2005 Convention has been highly regarded as a success. Part of what makes the event so allows us to use a very soft pad directly SHORT LINE & successful is the presentations. This year, topics under the rail. This new tension clamp REGIONAL RAILROAD FORUM allows us also to use standard technology. addressed everything from the latest engineering Steve Sullivan, Here are some pictures of its applica- American Short Line and research efforts to purchasing plans for the tion in the track from Petersburg to Regional Railroad coming year and more. While space would not Moscow. With the four-spindle device, Association allow for complete presentations to be published, one worker can assemble four screws at Fuel prices have had a what follows are excerpted comments from RTA the same time. Robal developed an eight- slight dampening effect. convention presenters. spindle screwing device where we can But, interestingly enough, it hasn’t been install 600 meters per hour. that dramatic. Rail capacity—we can con- tinue to grow rail business but only to the Terry Amburgey, extent that we have capacity. And that can RESEARCH & TASKpro: be defined in several different ways. And, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FORUM Commercializing The basically, the Class 1s tell us that they are Dr. Allan Zarembski, Manufacturing Process out of capacity. They are trying to add ZETA-TECH Associates: For Borate Pre/Dual capacity now, but that’s a long-term solu- Comparative Analysis Treatments tion. Short lines don’t have a problem of 6x8 vs. 7x8 Timber The people in Louisiana, before their with capacity. Short line business has Crossties minds were on Hurricane Katrina, were been growing, and it’s been growing well. The crossover point in low very seriously considering not placing density and branch lines, the point where wooden crossties in track in Southern Paul Boisvenue, it starts making sense, seems to lie in the Louisiana. And, if it can happen in St. Lawrence and Atlantic 400- to 500-ties range. Generally, it seems Louisiana, it can happen in Mississippi, Railroad Company that in the 500- to 700-ties range the eco- Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. So, Regional short lines are nomics work, so if you’re putting in any- we have to do something to address the faced with making some thing more than 500 to 700 ties per mile reasons for poor performance. changes to their business into the track for these lighter density I think we’ve got the solution—it’s a model, so we have done some rate lines, then 6x8 ties seem to make eco- matter of your clients knowing about it. increasing. We have put some fuel sur- nomic sense. If you are putting in fewer We can treat non-seasoned ties with charges in certain areas, and adjusted car than 400 ties, the 6x8 ties do not make borate, but it will require a bit of tweak- ordering and leasing agreements. All of economic sense. The smaller-scale instal- ing. It requires treatment, a period of dif- these issues are being handled to get the lations do not always provide an eco- fusion storage, paying attention to how cars moving, which has worked out well. nomic benefit; and as track densities you air-dry things, and over-treating the We have some other projects that will increase, the economics move away from borates with an oil preservative such as come down the pipeline early next year or the 6x8 ties, even for the large-scale creosote. late this year. So, we’ll get more traffic, applications. and that is the name of the game Bob Coats, Pandrol USA: Winfried Boesterling, VICTOR System Carl Vercollone, VOSSLOH: VOSSLOH— Installations and 42 North Structured A New Look At Fastening Technical Update Finance Company Systems for America Based on the results so far Let me give you one exam- In Europe, very often we in test, we are starting to ple of how this works. Let’s discuss the elasticity of the see a little bit of separation between the say some of you out there track—the bending in the track. In rolled steel base plate and the VICTOR were thinking about putting a new roof on Europe, it is more and more common to base plate. The VICTOR system is per- your house. You went out and got contrac- increase the elasticity in the fastening sys- forming better. We think that the improve- tors’ bids, and the bids came in at tem to achieve more load distribution to ments that we have achieved are starting $20,000. And, the next day, after you got the track to reduce ballast maintenance. to show up, and we expect that will be the all of the bids, one of the suppliers of the For that, we developed a special tension case as the test progresses. roofing shingles called you up and said, clamp with a high fatigue limit, which “If you use my roofing shingles, it will 14 CROSSTIES • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 convention 2005 | coverage only cost you 10,000.” That’s effectively short line industry, we would have a meet- ing up. They are going to continue to show what the opportunity is for RTA members ing with the legislatures and would have to up. You need to be showing up as well, with a railroad that is not in position to spend the entire meeting discussing what a and all of that showing up can’t be placed use this tax credit, but the supplier is. short line railroad is. That’s changed now. just on Jim Gauntt and the Railway Tie Business for the most part in California Association. Fred Simpson, is doing well. We are seeing an increase If Jim is trying to represent you without Montana Rail Link particularly in the port area. It’s just amaz- you being there with him, he has an I am very concerned with ing and mind boggling how well business impossible task ahead of him. Leaders what the capacity problems is doing in that area, and we are going to don’t listen to groups, and they don’t listen are doing to our industry continue. I appreciate the partnerships that to industry associations. They listen to the and how we respond to we have, particularly, Gary Ambrose, who individuals within those associations. Jim those problems. I’m very concerned with is in this room. Koppers has been a very can give you the tools, but you have to the impact it is going to have on carload strong supporter of ours, and we welcome show up. traffic. more. It helps when we go into our leg- I think Paul Boisvenue mentioned de- islative meetings not to have just railroads HARDWOOD RESOURCE FORUM marketing carload traffic. And you just but also to have our associate members Judd Johnson, heard Mike Smith’s comments and Steve who have employees that could be Hardwood Market Report Sullivan mentioned that the Class 1s are impacted by legislation as well. That’s I see a fundamental change refocusing on quality of revenue, which is critical, and I welcome more to join us. in the marketplace. And if it kind of a code word for yield manage- is true that we have a fun- ment, which means you manage the yield LUNCHEON damental change, it is prob- so you can get rid of the carload traffic. Bruce Vincent, ably going to take some time before the Our issue for this year going forward is The Alliance for America timber industry understands and reflects how we deal with carload traffic. Foundation, With Vision that. Meanwhile, as anybody in the There Is Hope sawmill business understands and agrees, Mike Smith, Railroads are the green the current prices and the market opportu- Finger Lakes choice, and we have to talk nities for number one common red oak are Railway Corporation to the public about that and learn to talk at unsustainable low levels. And that is the You can see that in 1929 to the public. We have to lead this discus- key. So far, sawmills have tried to avoid we had almost 75 percent sion and not just fight it. We have done a red oak and/or limit it as much as they of the total ton-miles that pretty good job at fighting. But then we possibly can—cut other species. But, I moved in this country. Today, we seem to learned that fighting makes us the three- think that what we have seen is that red have stabilized in the 41 to 43 percent ring circus or the third ring of a three-ring oak is the biggest production item that is area.

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