Project Highlights
- Replaced 12 ladder track turnouts
- Surfaced 30 yard tracks and 18 switches
- Performed 240 on-site welds
- Installed 2,200 crossties
- Placed 15,000 tons of ballast
Customer
Kansas City Southern Railway
Location
Shreveport, Louisiana
Category
Services
Provided By
RailWorks Track Systems completed a series of extensive updates for Kansas City Southern Railway's 257-acre Deramus Yard in Shreveport, La.
The project called for replacing 12 turnouts on the ladder track and surfacing all 30 yard tracks and 18 existing switches in the north end of the yard. All work had to be completed during 48-hour-windows held on three consecutive Monday-through-Wednesday periods.
During each of the three, 48-hour track outages, RailWorks dedicated up to 50 people at a time, comprised of a full-time safety manager, two welding crews, two production tampers and three track crews. Despite cold and wet weather during each of the outages, the RailWorks team completed all work within the designated windows. By the end of the project, RailWorks crews had performed 240 on-site welds, installed 2,200 crossties and placed 15,000 tons of ballast.
Unique Features
Deramus Yard is a 257-acre, computer-automated hump yard with 75 miles of track. Located at the crossroads of KCS' east-west and north-south rail corridors, the yard is the heartbeat of the railway's overall operations.
Preparations began well in advance of the on-site work. RailWorks' team, based out of the Houston office, held two meetings with KCS engineering and operations representatives to coordinate the required manpower and equipment as well as logistics related to the actual yard outages.
Preparations began well in advance of the on-site work. RailWorks' team, based out of the Houston office, held two meetings with KCS engineering and operations representatives to coordinate the required manpower and equipment as well as logistics related to the actual yard outages.