Fewer welds, fewer failures

Rail manufacturer Steel Dynamics, Inc., (SDI) and L.B. Foster Company recently teamed up to supply a first in welded rail--240-foot lengths used to weld 1,600-foot strings. The customer was the Saint Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad.

Currently, rail manufacturers provide 80-foot lengths of rail that are welded into 1,600 foot strings. This requires 20 to 22 welds per string. By using 240-foot lengths, the number of welds per 1,600-foot string is significantly reduced, statistically reducing the probability of in-track weld failures and also potentially reducing overall track maintenance costs. SDI just recently introduced this capability at a facility located adjacent to its Columbia City rail rolling mill and also completed its first welding operation using third-party rail.

L.B. Foster General Manager-Rail Products Laurie Ruemler says SDI "is the only mill in the Western Hemisphere capable of rolling, handling, and welding 240-foot lengths. We have partnered with SDI by providing handling and drilling support, our own welded rail train to transport the welded strings, and a crew to unload at the customer's project site. And we are looking forward to SDI running 320-foot lengths in 2008."

"We see great value in the availability of rail welded from longer lengths," says SL&A Director-Engineering and Capital Planning Paul Boisvenue. "It provides us the opportunity to reduce our operating costs while continuing to provide a high level of service to our customers. We have worked with L.B. Foster for a long time and value our relationship with them, especially as they work with suppliers such as SDI to provide innovative products and services such as these to our industry. They provided a complete package of services to us, allowing us to purchase the product from one source."