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2001-2002
  
Canadian Pacific Railway Employee Communications
Room 500 401-9th Ave S.W. Calgary AB T2P 4Z4
 

VOLUME THIRTY-TWO

NUMBER TWO 2002


CPR's High-Tech Track Analysis Looks Beneath Surface for Defects

Rear observation room
Greg Gormick
Correspondent
Toronto - Two track evaluation trains appear regularly, like high-tech phantoms, all across the CPR system. But as is the case with much of the railway's advanced equipment, they aren't all that well known, even within the company.
 
Self-contained
 
The rolling track laboratories were designed and built in-house by CPR engineering and mechanical staff at a cost of $2.4 million per train. Each is self-contained and consists of three cars hauled by a GP-9 locomotive. On board, electrical power is provided by a generator car.
 
Another rail car provides a rolling home for the technicians who travel with the train for a week or more at a time.
 
"Not only do we contribute to CPR safety, we also generate revenue by performing these evaluations for other railways", said Ron Gagne, CPR manager of track evaluation and contract services.
 
Fully loaded
 
At the heart of each train is a track evaluation car which carries the sophisticated laser and computer equipment that analyses and records all aspects of the track. Each of these cars was rebuilt from a former passenger car with a lead floor, three to four inches thick, to simulate the forces that a fully-loaded freight car exerts on the track. Large observation windows, and video cameras mounted on the front and sides of each train, allow technicians to view and video tape all aspects of the track. Computers record and analyse all details at speeds up to 60 mph.
 
It's an effort that contributes to the excellent record CPR has achieved in reducing the number of train accidents to the lowest levels in the North American railway industry:  1.9 million train miles in 2001.
Track evaluation car

This article is copyright 2002 by Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

 
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