Construction Procedure (pdf)

Underground Systems Construction

- Excavation
It starts with a saw cut in the existing pavement and excavating to the correct depth. A
drainage system would be installed at this time and is generally in the form of an
underdrain consisting of perforated pipes with the holes facing down surrounded by
crushed stone and wrapped in a filter fabric. Cleanouts are typically placed at strategic
locations, mainly in the bottom of vertical curves.

- Compaction
Many properties will use an asphalt underlayment of 6 to 8 inches [15 to 20 cm] thick
to guarantee 100% compaction. Evaluating the additional cost compared to the
potential problems is essential. In well-compacted soils, this may not be necessary.
Where organic material or soft soil is encountered, this may be the norm. It may be
necessary to over excavate to remove this unwanted material. If this is the case, new
fill will be needed. This fill material should be suitable and compatible with the
adjacent soils so as not to permit uneven or abrupt settlement. The engineer must
realize that this activity must be scrutinized and ensure that good quality controls are
implemented.

- Installation of underground electrical ductwork

First, the constructors responsible for the installation of underground electrical
ductwork and manholes should be required to complete as much of their work as
possible. Similarly, catenary pole foundations and the underground portions of other
vertical construction (such as the foundations for signals) should be installed prior to
the placement of subballast.

- Placement of the subballast and ballast

The placement of the subballast layer is typically performed using a spreader box that
defines the edges of the aggregate and screeds it to proper grade. So that the finished
elevation of the subballast is within tolerances, it is essential that the subgrade on
which it is placed is properly shaped and compacted. Once the subballast has been
placed, it needs to be compacted to the specified density and the finish elevations
verified. Once placed and compacted, the operation of rubber-tired vehicles over the
subballast should be extremely restricted. It is essential that any ruts or other damage
to the subballast be repaired prior to it being covered with the initial layer of ballast.

Raising track up through dumped ballast places significant stresses on the rail
fastening system. So as to minimize those stresses, it is good practice to limit the
actual raising of the track. This is achieved by placing most of the ballast below the
ties prior to the construction of the skeletonized track. This layer of “bottom ballast”
is placed and compacted on the subballast, with the top surface about 2 to 4 inches [50
to 100 mm] below the final elevation of the bottoms of the cross ties. This is easily
accomplished using conventional road building equipment such as a spreader box and
bulldozer or motor grader. Once this bottom layer of ballast is brought to the proper
elevation, a drum roller should thoroughly compact it so that the ballast particles are
firmly interlocked and the surface is planar and unyielding. This interlocking of
ballast is critical for the stability of the track under thermal and dynamic forces.

Once the bottom ballast is placed and compacted, care must be taken not to rut the
ballast surface causing the ties of the skeleton track to have an uneven bearing.

-Layout Rail and OTM

Laying out the Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) too early can result in damage to the
rail. If other contractors subsequently need to access the right-of-way, they might
drive their equipment over the loose string of rail. If the rail is not firmly supported,
their trucks may bend or damage it. Laying out clips, bolts, spikes, or any other OTM
ahead of the track construction can also be cause for damaged, lost, or stolen material.
These activities must be well thought out and incorporated in the action plans. Each
activity must have assigned equipment, tools, material, and timing.

-Placement of (Bed) Cross Ties

Placing concrete ties requires equipment since a concrete tie can weigh up to 850
pounds [385 kg].

Track-laying machines have conveyance systems to correctly place and space the ties
on a prepared layer of ballast.
it is imperative that the concrete ties lay flat and do not have ballast bearing at their
centers as this will cause the ties to crack later in the process. Some ballast screeding
equipment compensates for this by creating a slight concave depression along the
center of the track. There should be full bearing between the bottoms of the ties and
the bottom ballast layer for about 14 inches [35 cm] each way of the tie’s rail seats.

-Set Up Line Side

If wood or plastic ties are chosen, they can be pre-plated. If pre-plating is not chosen,
one plate needs to be set toward one end of the tie in the correct position. This
activity is called “setting up line side.” This offers a control when setting the rail into
the plates. Quality control is an important part of getting this right.

-Gauge Track

If using concrete ties or steel ties, then the fastening system is already incorporated in
the manufacturing process and track gauge is generally fixed. In most cases, only
spot checking or gauge is needed. Some concrete cross ties allow a small amount of
gauge adjustment by changing out the plastic rail insulators beneath the rail clips.
When using timber ties, the second rail must be correctly gauged relative to the first
rail after it has been secured. The ties can be pre-plated using a jig to set the plates to
correct gauge, but even then, the gauge should be verified during rail laying.

Assuming the use of new rail that meets specifications, gauging every fourth tie is
usually adequate in tangent track and flat curves. Sharper curves need to be gauged at
closer intervals. Extremely sharp curves may need to be gauged at every rail fastener
even if the rail is precurved. When gauging track, it is imperative that both rails are
seated properly into the plates with the correct cant. Setting gauge with the rails
canted wrong will cause tight gauge after the rail becomes seated. Just one tie plate
that is backward can cause incorrect gauge in 20 feet [6 meters] of track.

-Pre-Line and Clean-Up

After the track has been constructed in a skeletonized form, it is advisable to pre-line
the track to within 1 inch [about 2 to 3 cm] or so of theoretical. This helps follow-on
operations and will ensure the right amount of rail is in the track. Making dramatic
alignment adjustments after the ballast has been placed can introduce compressive or
tensile forces in the rail, which could prevent the track from ever staying in proper
alignment. Then, the only way to fix the problem is to cut the rail and add or subtract
rail as necessary. The same sort of problem can occur if the top of the bottom ballast
layer is not a reasonably uniform distance below the final track profile.

A general clean-up of the track prior to ballasting will prevent both valuable track
material and debris from becoming lost in the ballast.

-Dump Top Ballast

The next step is to introduce more ballast into the skeleton track structure. The
ultimate goal in this step is to have a cross section that has the ballast up to the top of
rail and a robust shoulder. This “top ballast” is generally placed up to the top of the
rail and continues at that elevation to a point about 12 inches [30 cm] beyond the ends
of the ties, where it slopes down to the trackbed. If the bottom ballast was placed
correctly, more ballast than this should not be required to achieve the finished ballast
cross section.

Top ballast can be placed with standard bottom dump railroad hopper cars or hy-rail
dump trucks. Some contractors have low platforms with rail wheels that are large
enough to accommodate a standard dump truck loaded with ballast. These are towed
by a small locomotive to ferry dump trucks to and from the ballast placement site.

If site conditions permit, ballast can also be placed from the side of the track with
standard heavy construction equipment such as front end loaders. However, rubber-
tired vehicles without hy-rail gear should never be driven on top of the track. Too
much damage can be done; for instance, the rail can be gouged.

-Raise, Line, and Tamp Track

This step in the production of a good ballasted track requires some specialized
equipment specifically designed for raising the track out of the ballast up to the
correct grade, positioning the track laterally to exact alignment, and then tamping the
ballast. So as to minimize strain on the rail fastening system, this should be done in at
least two lifts, each not more than 3 to 4 inches [25 to 75 mm], with the final lift being
no more than about 1 inch [25 mm]. All automatic tampers work on the alignment
relationship between a light projector and a shadow board receiver positioned a
specified distance away. This geometric relationship is what produces finished track
within very tight tolerances.
-Dress and Broom Track

This activity requires a ballast regulator, a rail-mounted piece of equipment with the
capability to transfer ballast from one side of the rails to the other in order to produce
the desired cross section. This equipment also has the ability to “broom” the track,
sweeping the ballast to an elevation equal to the top of the tie. Using the “wings,” it
can shape the ballast shoulder, which accounts for 35% of the holding power when
the rail is above or below the neutral temperature creating compressive or tension
forces in the rail. Ballast can be dressed manually using shovels, but, since that
process is labor-intensive, it is used on only very small projects. The important aspect
is that a consistent cross section must be maintained throughout the length of track.

-De-stress and Make Closure Welds

De-stressing continuous welded rail is an activity that could jeopardize the stability of
the track structure if done incorrectly. Any owner of track who is subject to FRA
oversight must have a standard procedure for de-stressing CWR and maintaining the
neutral temperature of the rail. The neutral temperature must be established at the
onset of a project. It is also important to understand that the neutral temperature of
the installed rail will possibly change if the track is realigned or the profile elevation
is changed. That is why thermal de-stressing of the rail should be done only after the
track has been brought to the final line and surface and all the ballast is installed and
dressed. De-stressing with insufficient ballast in track will not achieve the goal and
serious problems will happen later.

The amount of compressive force in the rail will vary with the temperature, the cross-
sectional area of the rail, and the constrained length of the rail string. A good, well-
built, ballasted track can withstand about 187,000 pounds [about 182 kilonewtons] of
compressive force. Beyond that, the track could buckle. To avoid this, AREMA says
that CWR should generally be anchored at a neutral temperature that is not lower than
about 30 to 40 ℃ below the maximum expected rail temperature. The rail can easily
be as much as about 22 ℃ above the ambient air temperature on a hot sunny day, so it
is important to understand that for track exposed to sunlight, the daytime rail
temperature is virtually never the same as the ambient air temperature in the shade.

-Install Insulated Joints and Other Appurtenances

For some contractors and agencies to install insulated joints after the rail has been de-
stressed. If this is the case, it is extremely important to not add or subtract rail
because this will change the neutral temperature. Each field thermite weld introduces
1 inch [25 mm] of rail into the system. This must be accounted for when welding in
insulated joint plugs. If more length is introduced, the risk of a track buckle increases.
Always keep in mind that a track buckle will very likely cause a derailment.

-Clearing Ballast from under the Rails

Traction power return current in the rails is searching for ground. Some amount of
the current will follow routes other than the rail in an inverse relationship to the
electrical resistance of that path. This is stray current. The ballast is a slight
conductor. Wet ballast is even more so and muddy ballast can be much worse. It is
therefore important that ballast not touch the rail. If ballast continues to touch the rail,
the track-to-earth resistance test will generally fail. Therefore, the ballast in the cribs
between the cross ties must be removed from under the rail, usually to a minimum
clearance of 1 inch [25 mm] between the top of the ballast stone and the underside of
the rail or any other metallic part of the track structure.

This is commonly called “poking” the ballast and can be achieved by using a track
shovel to push the ballast from beneath the rail. Some contractors have adapted other
track construction equipment (such as a rail anchor applicator) to do most of the work
of pushing the ballast out from under the rail, but manual methods of final clean-up
and disposal of surplus ballast are usually necessary. Poking the ballast is not
necessary on non-electrified railways; therefore, unless it is clearly called out in the
contract documents, the track constructor may not realize it is a requirement and may
demand a change order to cover associated labor and equipment costs.

Another activity that can provide better insurance of passing the electrical isolation
testing is to use compressed air to blow any ballast fines off the rail fastenings.
Ballast fines, when mixed with rainwater, can result in a “paste” that coats the rail
fastenings and provides a conductive path to ground.

Settling the rail – a track mountable machine called a tamping machine rides along the
new track, lifting the tracks, to then vibrate the ballast into place. It then sets the track
into its final position. This method is repeated numerous times to ensure the rail line
settles and is ready for operation.

Compaction is usually done with a vibratory roller, the larger the better.

rubber-tired vehicles

spreader box and bulldozer or motor grader

drum roller