Wood ties vs. Concrete ties.

[MichaelSol]

By SEAN GORMAN
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: September 27, 2005)

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is replacing defective railroad ties on Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line between Ossining and Tarrytown.

Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road bought 270,000 concrete ties in 1997 and 1998, but many are deteriorating prematurely even though the MTA hired a quality control company to oversee their production, according to report issued yesterday by state Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi.

About 100,000 of the 270,000 have been installed, said MTA spokesman Tom Kelly. Of those, about 16,000 are defective, he said.

"They pose no safety problems whatsoever," Kelly said. "It is a more rapid deterioration than what we believe should have happened, and for that reason we want to replace (them) ... It is not a safety concern to our customers or employees."

The ties were made by Rocla Concrete Tie, a Colorado-based company, Kelly said.

Rocla has agreed to provide replacement ties for the ones that are defective, he said. The MTA is speaking with that company and with Pennoni Associates — a Bridgeport, Pa.-based business that ensures the quality of the ties — about who will pay for the installation of the replacement ties, he said. The MTA does not believe it should have to pay for the work, Kelly said.

Neither officials of Pennoni or Rocla could immediately be reached for comment.

Metro-North, which had bought 206,000 of the questionable ties, plans to spend about $14 million to replace 52,000 of them. The railroad will periodically inspect the remaining 154,000, according to Hevesi's report.

Ties are the thick lengths of timber or concrete set crosswise into the bed of a railroad and to which the tracks are attached.

The concrete ties have a 25-year warranty that the railroads maintain covers both replacement and the much larger cost of the installation. But the manufacturer disputes the extent of the warranty, according to a news release from Hevesi's office.

Concrete ties are supposed to last much longer than the traditional wooden ones — 50 years as opposed to 30 years. Yet many of the new concrete ties are lasting only about seven or eight years, according to the comptroller's news release.

[BruceGKoprucki]

I noted on the Canadian Pacific Railway web site that they collect their scrap, non-reuseable ties for burning at some waste-to-energy plant. Yes, the ties at the home improvement stores can be pretty bad! The Queensland steel ties? I think they have a termite problem...or scarce wood supply.[:)]
Bruce Koprucki
Chaska, MN