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Railroads inside and outside of industrial facilities require regular maintenance to keep your operations running efficiently.
The critical item most don’t think about is the importance of proper drainage to get water away from the subgrade.
Why is drainage so important for a railroad?
If the railroad is the beating heart of the plant operations, ensuring product flow, then drainage acts as the blood pressure — a “silent killer.” The railroad is only ever as good as the subgrade it is built on and a critical component is the presence of adequate drainage. Without this, the water will completely saturate the subgrade, leading to potential failures and derailments of one or multiple railcars over time.
In an ideal scenario, a derailment involves a single car coming off the track and staying upright and intact. However, not all incidents are so fortunate. If a car, or multiple cars, overturn, it will likely lead to environmental concerns. Emergency derailment services to get you up and going again far exceed the cost of installing or properly maintaining proper drainage, and we know because we perform both. The repair after a derailment is almost always to get the track back up and going with a “band aid” fix to keep the cars rolling and does not address the root cause of the problem and is doomed to happen again in time. More importantly, these conditions can lead to critical safety issues inside and outside of facilities, often impacting the general public.
Types of drainage systems
There are many types of methodologies to utilize, but the two most common are French drains and conventional ditches. French drains are installed between sets of tracks that tie into catch basins to collect and divert water away from the subgrade. These are used when there are two or more tracks in parallel. The other common system involves ditches on each side of the track with the flowline well below the subgrade and having plenty of positive drainage to not create any standing water in the ditch.
Identify the problem
When the train travels over the weak areas the track gets pushed down and the water comes up to the surface causing a “pumping” action of the subgrade. You will see areas with mud in the ballast between the rails. Also, if you have wood ties, you will find many of them prematurely rotting in these areas, or completely rotted out. Inspect the existing drainage system looking for damaged, collapsed or clogged pipes. Also, If the rock encasing the French drain has mud or other debris it can halt the flow of water into the pipe causing the issue, this is very common. As for ditches, ensure the flowline is well below the subgrade and is not silted in, have vegetation or any other obstructions to prevent adequate discharge of water. Most of the issues happen slowly over time due to lack of drainage maintenance.
Prevent the problem
Watch what happens during a rain event and make note of areas with slow or no drainage. Check for downstream blockages and eliminate them if found. If it’s still slow or there is no drainage you may have a damaged system or fully clogged. Standard Constructors has been installing turnkey railroad systems and maintaining plant rail systems since the 1960’s, both domestically and internationally. Standard’s team consists of problem solvers and doers that are prepared to tackle anything regarding sitework, civil, piling and railroad systems. If there is a problem that requires professional problem solvers to inspect a system, call Standard Constructors.
For more information, visit Standard Constructors.
