UP crews are very busy in the Houston area right now. The old tracks that were remnants of the long gone but once beautiful Grand Central Station were removed a few weeks ago. I don’t know why as they’ve been that way for decades. North of Houston between Belt Jct and Spring Jct is where most of the action will be for the next 2 weeks. This pretty straight double track section of mainline runs between the north and southbound lanes of the Hardy Tollway for many miles but pretty much parallel to it and Hardy St. most of the rest of the way to Spring. This section is referred to by some as the racetrack.
UP crews have amassed a virual army of labor and equipment in Spring and every half mile down the tracks is a port-a-potty. Work trains comprise a few yard tracks at Lloyd Yard and yesterday a train loaded with concrete ties arrived on a siding against Hardy St. A concrete tie turnout was just installed just south of Spring Jct last week. New ribbon rail was also dropped off along the entire line. It appears the entire double track line to at least Belt Jct, a distance of about 20 miles, is going to be upgraded this week to all concrete ties. There is lots of work to see. If anyone is in the Houston area and has never seen how ties are swapped out and rail replaced, you’ve got a chance. It’s pretty neat.
The following excerpt from Union Pacific’s press release on the project tells you what’s going on, and the exciting things you have to look forward to. Enjoy!
[i]Union Pacific Invests $29 Million for Track Improvements to Its Line from Spring to Houston
Spring, Texas, February 11, 2010 – Union Pacific will improve Houston’s transportation infrastructure with a $29 million investment to improve the rail line that runs from Spring, Texas, to the Washington Avenue Corridor.
Work on the 23-mile stretch of railroad tracks will begin on the line that parallels the Hardy Toll Road February 18. Crews also will make track improvements to the rail line located along Washington Avenue, between downtown Houston and Hempstead Road.
The project includes removing and installing new rail, 29 track switches and more than 62,000 concrete ties. Crews also will spread 99,000 tons of rock ballast to ensure a stable roadbed and renew the roadway surfaces at 14 crossings.
Union Pacific will use a modern track renewal train, the TRT 909, which installs rail and concrete ties in one pass. The TRT can install up to 5,000 ties in a twelve-hour day. The track renewal train consists of approximately 30 rail cars, with each car capable of carrying 210 concrete ties. Three sets of gantry cranes move the concrete ties forward for the TRT to drop into place and the machine then threads the new rail onto the ties. The old wooden ties are picked up and discarded rail is threaded out as the machine works its way down the track. A conveyor moves the removed ties into position for the gantry cranes to load them onto the cars for movement to a facility for sorting.[/i]
I saw that train today. Very neat to see. The first mile of concrete ties is laid next to Lloyd yard.